Integrate Apollo Sandbox with Strapi

These integration guides are not official documentation and the Strapi Support Team will not provide assistance with them.

Introduction to Apollo Sandbox and Strapi

Apollo Sandbox and Strapi together offer a powerful combination for developers working with GraphQL APIs.

What Is Apollo Sandbox?

Apollo Sandbox is an interactive environment for exploring GraphQL APIs. It allows you to write and execute queries, view schema documentation, and test your API with different variables. The tool improves your development workflow by simplifying the process of testing and debugging GraphQL operations.

Why Use Strapi with Apollo Sandbox

Integrating Strapi with Apollo Sandbox improves your GraphQL development by providing an environment to test and interact with your APIs. Apollo Sandbox offers a web-based interface where you can explore your Strapi GraphQL schema, write queries and mutations, and see real-time responses. Integrating Strapi with Apollo Sandbox streamlines development by allowing you to:

• Interactively Build and Test Queries: With features like autocompletion and syntax highlighting, you can craft queries more efficiently. Apollo Sandbox lets you test different variables and examine responses, making debugging easier.
• Explore Schema Documentation: Apollo Sandbox automatically introspects your Strapi GraphQL schema, enabling you to browse content types and their model relationships. Exploring the schema documentation helps you understand how your data is structured and how to access it effectively.
• Manage Headers and Authentication: If your Strapi API requires authentication, you can easily add headers in Apollo Sandbox to include tokens or other credentials.

Key Features of Apollo Sandbox

Explorer IDE

Apollo Sandbox offers an Explorer IDE where you can write and execute queries, mutations, and subscriptions, allowing for efficient data management.

• Benefit from autocompletion: Speed up query writing with intelligent suggestions based on your schema.
• Browse schema documentation: Understand the structure of your API with easy access to type definitions and field descriptions, and learn how to customize GraphQL API to fit your specific needs.

Schema Reference

With the built-in schema reference, you can:

• Explore content types and relationships: Navigate through your Strapi content models and see how they interconnect.
• View detailed field information: Get insights into field types, arguments, and descriptions to craft precise queries.

Testing and Debugging Tools

Apollo Sandbox improves testing and debugging by allowing you to:

• Use variables in queries: Test different scenarios by passing variables to your GraphQL operations.
• Examine response data and errors: Analyze the results and identify any issues in your queries or mutations.

Authentication Support

If your Strapi API requires authentication:

• Customize request headers: Easily add authentication tokens or other headers to your requests within the "Headers" tab. For more details on implementing JWT Authentication with Strapi, ensure to include the appropriate headers when sending requests.

Advanced Features

For more comprehensive development needs, Apollo Sandbox offers:

• Schema Diffs: Compare your current schema with previous versions to track changes.
• Schema Checks: Validate that schema modifications don't introduce breaking changes to existing operations.
• Type Safety: Maintaining type safety in your GraphQL operations can enhance code reliability and development efficiency.
• Strapi API Connection: Establishing a solid Strapi API connection can further streamline your workflow when building applications.
• Vercel Deployment: For deploying your frontend applications, consider options like Vercel deployment, which can simplify your deployment process.

Operation Collections

Organize your work by:

• Saving frequently used queries: Keep important operations at hand for quick access.
• Sharing queries with your team: Collaborate effectively by sharing collections of queries and mutations.

Offline Usage

Continue your development without interruption:

Apollo Sandbox allows for building offline-first applications using Flutter and Strapi. Strapi effectively manages content and integrates with various front-end frameworks in offline scenarios.

Embeddable Interface

Integrate Apollo Sandbox into your development environment:

• Embed Apollo Sandbox: Embed Apollo Sandbox into your applications or tools by exploring available integration options.

By using these features, you can streamline your GraphQL development with Strapi, making it easier to build, test, and manage your content-driven applications.

Best Practices of Integrating Apollo Sandbox With Strapi

Set Up the GraphQL Plugin Correctly

Install and enable Strapi's GraphQL plugin:

npm install @strapi/plugin-graphql

Restart the server to activate the plugin. Access the GraphQL endpoint at http://localhost:1337/graphql.

Configure Permissions and Authentication

Avoid access errors by configuring permissions, which is crucial not only for data access but also for media management:

• In Strapi's admin panel, go to Settings > Roles.
• Edit roles and grant necessary permissions for content types.

If authentication is required, you may need to generate an API token and include it in the Authorization header in Apollo Sandbox.

Adjust CORS Settings

Strapi users can explore updating CORS settings to potentially allow requests from external platforms like Apollo Sandbox.

Use Apollo Sandbox Effectively

• Write and test queries in the Explorer.
• Browse schema documentation.
• Save queries using Operation Collections.

Secure Your GraphQL Endpoint

In production, consider securing your schema, enabling HTTPS with valid certificates, and implementing proper access permissions.

Troubleshoot Connection Issues

If issues arise:

• Confirm the Strapi server is running and reachable.
• Check that headers are correctly set.
• Verify network access and firewall settings.

Getting Started With Apollo Sandbox

Integrating Apollo Sandbox with Strapi allows you to efficiently test and interact with your GraphQL API.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that:

• Your Strapi server is up and running.
• The GraphQL plugin is installed and enabled in your Strapi project.

Connecting to Apollo Sandbox

1. Launch Apollo Sandbox Open your web browser and navigate to Apollo Sandbox.
2. Enter Strapi's GraphQL Endpoint In the URL field at the top of Apollo Sandbox, enter your Strapi GraphQL endpoint:

http://localhost:1337/graphql

3. Replace localhost:1337 with your Strapi server's address if it's running on a different host or port.
4. Connect to the Endpoint Apollo Sandbox will attempt to introspect your schema and establish a connection. Once connected, you'll have access to the Explorer interface.

Using Apollo Sandbox with Strapi

With the connection established, you can now:

• Write Queries and Mutations Use the Explorer IDE to compose and execute GraphQL queries and mutations against your Strapi API. The interface offers autocompletion and syntax highlighting to streamline your workflow.
• Browse Schema Documentation Explore your Strapi content types, fields, and relationships directly within Apollo Sandbox. This helps you understand the available queries and mutations.
• Test with Variables Define variables in your queries to test different scenarios without modifying the query structure.

Handling Authentication

If your Strapi API requires authentication, you'll need to include the appropriate headers:

1. Add Authentication Header In Apollo Sandbox, click on the Headers tab.
2. Include Authorization Token Add the necessary authentication token in the Authorization header.

Advanced Features

Apollo Sandbox offers additional features to improve your development experience:

• Operation Collections Save and organize frequently used queries and mutations for easy access in future sessions.
• Schema Exploration Dive deeper into your schema to understand complex relationships and data structures.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues connecting to your Strapi GraphQL endpoint:

• Verify the Endpoint Ensure that the URL is correct and that your Strapi server is accessible.
• Check CORS Settings Confirm that Strapi's CORS configuration allows requests from Apollo Sandbox.
• Review Authentication Requirements Double-check that you've included the necessary headers if authentication is required.