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graphql.js VS Falcor

Compare graphql.js VS Falcor and see what are their differences

graphql.js logo graphql.js

A reference implementation of GraphQL for JavaScript - graphql/graphql-js

Falcor logo Falcor

Falcor is a JavaScript library for efficient data fetching.
  • graphql.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27
  • Falcor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20

graphql.js features and specs

  • Strongly Typed
    GraphQL.js allows for strongly typed schemas, making it easier to perform validation and introspection on your data, ensuring that queries conform to a specific structure before execution.
  • Efficient Data Fetching
    GraphQL.js enables clients to request exactly the data they need which can reduce over-fetching and under-fetching compared to REST APIs.
  • Rich Developer Tooling
    The introspection capabilities in GraphQL.js allow for rich tooling, enabling better development workflows including robust IDE support and tools like GraphiQL.
  • Evolving APIs
    GraphQL.js facilitates evolving APIs without the need for versioning, providing backward compatibility by introducing non-breaking changes.
  • Community Support
    GraphQL.js has a large and active community, providing numerous resources, plugins, and tools that support smooth development processes.

Possible disadvantages of graphql.js

  • Complexity
    Implementing GraphQL.js can add complexity to projects as developers may need to learn new concepts such as schemas, resolvers, and query languages.
  • Overhead
    The flexibility of GraphQL.js can introduce performance overhead, as the server may need to parse and execute more complex and dynamic queries.
  • Cache Invalidation
    Caching strategies for GraphQL.js can be more complex compared to REST, as caching needs to account for the structure and specifics of the queries requested.
  • Over-fetching Risks
    While GraphQL.js mitigates data over-fetching, it can also expose sensitive data if developers are not meticulous in specifying and controlling the schema and access permissions.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging runtime errors in GraphQL.js can sometimes be more difficult, especially with deeply nested queries and complex resolvers.

Falcor features and specs

  • Efficient Data Fetching
    Falcor allows fetching only the data you need by utilizing a virtual JSON graph on the server, minimizing over-fetching and under-fetching of resources.
  • Single Data Model
    Falcor provides a unified data model that represents all your data as a single JSON graph, simplifying data management and access patterns.
  • Built-in Cache
    Falcor's client-side library includes a built-in cache that reduces the need for repeated requests for the same data, improving performance and efficiency.
  • Consistent API
    Falcor offers a consistent and declarative API for data retrieval, making it easier to understand and use within applications.

Possible disadvantages of Falcor

  • Initial Learning Curve
    Falcor's concepts and architecture can be complex for those new to the system, requiring time and effort to fully understand and utilize effectively.
  • Limited Adoption
    Despite being from Netflix, Falcor has seen limited adoption compared to alternatives like GraphQL, resulting in fewer resources and community support.
  • Opinionated Structure
    Falcor imposes a specific way of structuring and querying data, which may not align with the existing architecture or needs of every project.
  • Maintenance and Updates
    With Netflix pivoting towards other technologies, there may be concerns about the frequency of updates and long-term maintenance of Falcor.

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Falcor videos

Airborn Proto Falcor 400 Plastic | Disc Golf Disc Review | PRODIGY STREET TEAM

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  • Review - Throwmore Disc Golf Store Presents Flies Like: Prodigy Discs Falcor and Reverb

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to graphql.js and Falcor)
Project Management
69 69%
31% 31
API Tools
37 37%
63% 63
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, graphql.js should be more popular than Falcor. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

graphql.js mentions (8)

  • Diving into Open-Source Development
    To begin, I'm going to start with GraphQL. This repo is a JS-specific implementation for GraphQL, for which projects written in JS/TS can utilize to build an API for their web app. The reason why I chose this project is because I've always been intrigued by how GraphQl challenges the standard way of building an API, a.k.a REST APIs. I have very little knowledge about this project since I've never used it before at... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • How to define schema once and have server code and client code typed? [Typescript]
    When I asked this in StackOverflow over a year ago I reached the solution of using graphql + graphql-zeus. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Apollo federated graph is not presenting its schema to graphiql with fields sorted lexicographically
    GraphiQL (and many other tools) relies on introspection query which AFAIK is not guaranteed to have any specific order (and many libs don't support it). Apollo Server is built on top of graphql-js and it relies on it for this functionality. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How (Not) To Build Your Own GraphQL Server
    Defining your schema and the resolvers simultaneously led to some issues for developers, as it was hard to decouple the schema from the (business) logic in your resolvers. The SDL-first approach introduced this separation of concerns by defining the complete schema before connecting them to the resolvers and making this schema executable. A version of the SDL-first approach was introduced together with GraphQL... - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • three ways to deploy a serverless graphQL API
    Graphql-yoga is built on other packages that provide functionality required for building a GraphQL server such as web server frameworks like express and apollo-server, GraphQL subscriptions with graphql-subscriptions and subscriptions-transport-ws, GraphQL engine & schema helpers including graphql.js and graphql-tools, and an interactive GraphQL IDE with graphql-playground. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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Falcor mentions (4)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing graphql.js and Falcor, you can also consider the following products

JsonAPI - Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, and Query Languages

OData - OData, short for Open Data Protocol, is an open protocol to allow the creation and consumption of queryable and interoperable RESTful APIs in a simple and standard way.

Apollo - Apollo is a full project management and contact tracking application.

GraphQL - GraphQL is a data query language and runtime to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps.

FastAPI - FastAPI is an Open Source, modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.6+ based on standard Python type hints.

Graphene - Query Languages