Query Batching

Query batching is a feature in Strawberry GraphQL that allows clients to send multiple queries, mutations, or a combination of both in a single HTTP request. This can help optimize network usage and improve performance for applications that make frequent GraphQL requests.

This document explains how to enable query batching, its configuration options, and how to integrate it into your application with an example using FastAPI.

Enabling Query Batching

To enable query batching in Strawberry, you need to configure the StrawberryConfig when defining your GraphQL schema. The batching configuration is provided as a typed dictionary. Batching is disabled by default, if no configuration is provided.

Basic Configuration

from strawberry.schema.config import StrawberryConfig


config = StrawberryConfig(batching_config={"max_operations": 10})

Configuring Maximum Operations

To set a limit on the number of operations in a batch request, use the max_operations key: 

from strawberry.schema.config import StrawberryConfig


config = StrawberryConfig(batching_config={"max_operations": 5})

When batching is enabled, the server can handle a list of operations (queries/mutations) in a single request and return a list of responses.

Example Integration with FastAPI

Query Batching is supported on all Strawberry GraphQL framework integrations. Below is an example of how to enable query batching in a FastAPI application: 

import strawberry
from fastapi import FastAPI
from strawberry.fastapi import GraphQLRouter
from strawberry.schema.config import StrawberryConfig




@strawberry.type
class Query:
    @strawberry.field
    def hello(self) -> str:
        return "Hello World"




schema = strawberry.Schema(
    Query,
    config=StrawberryConfig(batching_config={"max_operations": 5}),
)


graphql_app = GraphQLRouter(schema)


app = FastAPI()
app.include_router(graphql_app, prefix="/graphql")

Running the Application

  1. Save the code in a file (e.g., app.py ).
  2. Start the FastAPI server:
Terminal window
uvicorn app:app --reload
  1. The GraphQL endpoint will be available at http://127.0.0.1:8000/graphql .

Testing Query Batching

You can test query batching by sending a single HTTP request with multiple GraphQL operations. For example:

Request

Terminal window
curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '[{"query": "{ hello }"}, {"query": "{ hello }"}]' \
http://127.0.0.1:8000/graphql

Response

[{ "data": { "hello": "Hello World" } }, { "data": { "hello": "Hello World" } }]

Error Handling

Batching Disabled

If batching is not enabled in the server configuration and a batch request is sent, the server will respond with a 400 status code and an error message: 

Batching is not enabled

Too Many Operations

If the number of operations in a batch exceeds the max_operations limit, the server will return a 400 status code and an error message: 

Too many operations

Limitations

Multipart Subscriptions

Query batching does not support multipart subscriptions. Attempting to batch such operations will result in a 400 error with a relevant message.

Additional Notes

Query batching is particularly useful for clients that need to perform multiple operations simultaneously, reducing the overhead of multiple HTTP requests. Ensure your client library supports query batching before enabling it on the server.