Introduction

This tutorial aims to guide you in deploying your GraphQL APIs to leading cloud platforms such as AWS, Heroku, or Azure. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a fully functioning GraphQL API hosted on a cloud platform of your choice.

You will learn:
- How to set up your server
- How to configure necessary parameters
- How to launch your API

Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of GraphQL & Node.js
- An AWS, Heroku, or Azure account

Step-by-Step Guide

AWS

1. Set up your AWS Server

Login to your AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 Dashboard. Click on "Launch Instance" and choose an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) such as Amazon Linux 2 AMI. Follow the prompts to configure your instance.

2. Install Node.js & npm

Connect to your instance using SSH. Once connected, update the package lists for upgrades and new packages. Install Node.js & npm.

sudo yum update
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.38.0/install.sh | bash
. ~/.nvm/nvm.sh
nvm install node
node -v
npm -v

3. Clone your GraphQL project

You can clone your project from GitHub using git clone followed by your repository link.

4. Install dependencies

Navigate into your project directory and install your project's dependencies using npm.

cd my-graphql-project
npm install

5. Start your GraphQL server

Start your GraphQL server, usually with npm start or node index.js, depending on your project.

Heroku

1. Install the Heroku CLI

Download and install the Heroku CLI. Once installed, you can use the heroku command from your command shell.

2. Login to Heroku from your CLI

heroku login

3. Clone your repository

Navigate to the directory where you want to clone your GraphQL project and run the git clone command.

4. Create a new Heroku app

Navigate into your project directory and create a new Heroku app with heroku create.

cd my-graphql-project
heroku create

5. Deploy your app

Commit your changes (if any) and deploy your app to Heroku using Git.

git add .
git commit -am "make it better"
git push heroku master

Azure

1. Create a new Web App

Navigate to the Azure portal and create a new Web App.

2. Configure your Web App

Provide a unique name for your Web App and select Node.js as your runtime stack. Configure the remaining settings as per your requirements and create your Web App.

3. Deploy your GraphQL API

From your local project directory, initialize a new Git repository and commit your project.

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Set a new remote for your Web App with git remote add azure <GIT_CLONE_URL>. You can find the GIT_CLONE_URL in your Web App's overview page.

Push your GraphQL API to Azure with git push azure master.

Code Examples

Here's a simple GraphQL server built with Apollo Server.

const { ApolloServer, gql } = require('apollo-server');

// Define your type definitions
const typeDefs = gql`
  type Query {
    hello: String
  }
`;

// Define your resolvers
const resolvers = {
  Query: {
    hello: () => 'Hello, world!',
  },
};

// Initialize an ApolloServer instance
const server = new ApolloServer({ typeDefs, resolvers });

// Start the server
server.listen().then(({ url }) => {
  console.log(`Server ready at ${url}`);
});

In this code snippet, we import ApolloServer and gql from the apollo-server package. We define our type definitions and resolvers, and initialize an ApolloServer instance with them. Finally, we start our server.

Summary

In this tutorial, we've covered how to deploy a GraphQL API to AWS, Heroku, and Azure. You've learned how to set up your server, configure necessary parameters, and launch your API.

Practice Exercises

1. Deploy a simple GraphQL API to AWS, Heroku, and Azure.
2. Add a mutation to your GraphQL API and deploy the updated API to a cloud platform of your choice.
3. Add a database such as MongoDB or PostgreSQL to your GraphQL API and deploy the updated API to a cloud platform of your choice.

Additional Resources

• Apollo Server Docs
• AWS Docs
• Heroku Docs
• Azure Docs