June 2022 Summaries

Apollo Sandbox is a GraphQL IDE that allows developers to write queries and manage their graphs in a more intuitive way. It was previously only available on the Apollo Studio domain, but is now available for embedding on any website through HTML or using Apollo Server with a new embed parameter. Sandbox offers features such as saved operations in the cloud, schema diffs and checks, automatic schema reference, and integration with Apollo Explorer, which is one of the most sophisticated GraphQL IDEs in the ecosystem. The goal of Sandbox is to provide developers with more control over their network requests and to fill gaps in GraphQL tooling, making it a powerful tool for building and managing GraphQL applications.

The Apollo Studio team has introduced support for embedding the Explorer GraphQL IDE into any graph, public or private, on developer portals, documentation sites, and other websites. This allows developers to access and query a private graph without having to leave their own website. The embedded Explorer includes features such as authentication with Studio accounts, operation collections, and styling options. To set up an embedded Explorer, users need to configure their embed preferences, including themes, headers, and environment variables, and then copy the provided code snippet to embed the Explorer into their website. The Explorer can be used in React, vanilla JavaScript, or HTML formats, and it includes features such as type and field search, one-click query building, and operation collections. Once embedded, the Explorer allows developers to access and query a private graph while still being on their own website.

Improved embedding for Apollo Explorer! We are happy to announce that you can now embed Explorer on any website with any graph variant – even private variants. To do this, first open Explorer for a specific graph in Apollo Studio, click the share icon and select "Share as embed". Embedded Explorer uses the graph ref from Apollo Studio, so it will always be kept up to date with schema changes in Studio. If you want to embed a private graph variant, the visitor will need to authorize access before proceeding. You can also share collections of example operations with visitors, who can create their own personal collections by signing in. Additionally, we have improved the Apollo Client Dev Tools to securely pull in a graph ref from Apollo Studio if it is unable to introspect the graph from the browser.