Data fetching with Gatsby and GraphQL

Building applications with Gatsby requires effective data management, and this guide focuses on how to fetch and render data using Gatsby's capabilities, particularly through GraphQL. Instead of embedding data directly within application components, developers can source data from various locations such as file systems, external APIs, databases, and CMSs like Contentful or WordPress. The tutorial involves creating a Gatsby blog site that fetches MDX files from the file system to render as blog posts, utilizing Gatsby's data layer powered by GraphQL to query site metadata and external data sources. It explains how to set up a Gatsby project, introduces the use of GraphiQL for exploring data, and demonstrates the integration of static and dynamic data into components using the useStaticQuery hook and custom hooks. Additionally, the guide covers the installation and configuration of necessary plugins to handle data from MDX files and images, enabling optimized rendering of content and images on the site. By following this tutorial, developers can gain a comprehensive understanding of Gatsby’s data-fetching techniques and apply them to source data from any backend they choose, enhancing the functionality and maintainability of their Gatsby projects.