Best Practices for Using GraphQL APIs to Ensure Store Stability & Reliability
GraphQL APIs provide merchants with powerful data retrieval capabilities, but without proper management, they can strain store stability and performance. To maintain a seamless experience for all users, merchants should adhere to the following best practices:
- Implement Caching for Better Performance
- Share cached data when multiple users request the same information.
- Minimize redundant API calls - only request the data you need to improve scalability.
- Use cache invalidation to update data appropriately and prevent stale responses.
- Use a Trusted Proxy for Stability & Security
- Ensure the true client IP is propagated to GraphQL when using a proxy.
- Improve security and optimize performance through proper proxy use.
- Filter traffic and leverage intelligent caching to reduce API load.
- Maintain secure and reliable data exchange for smooth eCommerce operations.
- Optimize Query Complexity & Structure
- Limit query depth to prevent resource-intensive requests.
- Monitor and throttle excessive concurrent queries to prevent system overload.
- Implement inflight limits to control the number of active GraphQL queries per customer.
- Monitor & Analyze API Usage
- Track API usage to detect anomalies and prevent abuse.
- Set up alerts for unusual query patterns or sudden traffic spikes.
- Secure API Access & Prevent Misuse
- Protect your API from unauthorized access and abuse. One key measure is turning off introspection queries in a production environment.
- Restrict query batching to prevent resource-intensive bulk operations.
Development Best Practices for GraphQL
Ensuring your queries and data handling align with the schema helps catch errors early and streamlines the build process. For this, we recommend using code generation tools to enforce schema alignment during development. This involves taking your GraphQL schema (via introspection or a .graphql file) and generating language-specific types, query builders, or hooks/components. Your IDE or compiler will flag errors if queries or data access don’t conform to the schema.
Here are a few recommended open-source GraphQL clients for schema integration:
- Apollo Client (opens in a new tab) (with GraphQL Code Generator (opens in a new tab)) - Javascript/Typescript
- SGQLC (opens in a new tab) (Simple GraphQL Client) - Python
Avoiding 429 errors
To prevent 429 Too Many Requests errors, follow these best practices. Optimizing queries, leveraging caching, implementing security measures, and monitoring API usage help maintain store stability. Efficient API usage ensures better performance and long-term scalability for your store.
To ensure service quality at scale, BigCommerce actively monitors API traffic. We reserve the right to throttle or restrict abusive apps or stores in accordance with our Terms of Service (opens in a new tab). Following these best practices will help you build a resilient and efficient implementation that maximizes business benefits while minimizing infrastructure costs.