GraphCL

A lightweight caching proxy for GraphQL endpoints. GraphCL reduces server load and improves response times by storing frequently accessed data.

How It Works

GraphCL sits between your application and your GraphQL API (like Strapi), temporarily storing query results. When identical requests are made, GraphCL returns the cached response instead of querying the server again. Note that GraphCL only caches queries which do not contain mutations, i.e. it is limited to read-only queries.

Cached data expires after a specified time. By default, all entities are cached for 1 minute. You can specify caching duration per entity using command line argument. E.g.: the following caches the entity User for 5 minutes and Post for 10 minutes:

--cache="User:300,Post:600"

Collision Resistance

GraphCL detects authentication headers if present, and includes them in the cache key such that data does not leak between different users.

Currently the following headers are considered:

authPatterns := []string{
		"Authorization",
		"Auth",
		"X-Auth",
		"Api-Key",
		"X-Api-Key",
		"Bearer",
		"Token",
}

Benefits

• Faster Responses: Reduces HTTP request duration by ~50%
• Higher Capacity: Effectively doubles your endpoint's throughput
• Energy Efficient: Can reduce energy consumption by ~20%
• Simple Integration: Works with existing GraphQL endpoints without code changes

Use Cases

• Content management systems (Strapi, Contentful, etc.)
• APIs with frequently accessed data
• Applications needing improved response times
• Environments where reducing server load is beneficial

How to Use

GraphCL can be easily used via the docker image. E.g. in Compose:

  graphcl:
    image: codomatech/graphcl
    environment:
      - GRAPHCL_ENDPOINT=https://example.com/graphql
    ports:
      - "7370:7370"

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GraphCL is a work of ❤️ by Codoma.tech.