Hasura Has a Free GraphQL API That Auto-Generates From Your Database

Hasura instantly generates a GraphQL API from your PostgreSQL database. Full CRUD, real-time subscriptions, and authorization — zero backend code.

Setup

docker compose up -d
# Console at http://localhost:8080

Auto-Generated Queries

Once you connect your database, every table gets GraphQL operations:

# List with filtering and pagination
query {
  users(where: {active: {_eq: true}}, order_by: {created_at: desc}, limit: 10) {
    id
    name
    email
    posts(where: {published: {_eq: true}}) {
      title
      views
    }
  }
}

# Insert
mutation {
  insert_users_one(object: {name: "Alice", email: "[e-mail]"}) {
    id
    created_at
  }
}

# Update
mutation {
  update_users_by_pk(pk_columns: {id: 1}, _set: {name: "Bob"}) {
    id
    name
  }
}

Real-Time Subscriptions

subscription {
  messages(order_by: {created_at: desc}, limit: 10) {
    id
    text
    user {
      name
    }
    created_at
  }
}

Actions (Custom Business Logic)

# Define in Hasura console
type Mutation {
  processPayment(amount: Float!, userId: Int!): PaymentResult
}

// Your webhook handler
app.post('/api/process-payment', async (req, res) => {
  const { amount, userId } = req.body.input;
  const result = await stripe.charges.create({ amount: amount * 100 });
  res.json({ transactionId: result.id, status: 'success' });
});

REST API (from GraphQL)

# Hasura also exposes REST endpoints
curl http://localhost:8080/api/rest/users \
  -H "x-hasura-admin-secret: your-secret"

Why This Matters

• Instant API: Connect database, get GraphQL in seconds
• Real-time: WebSocket subscriptions on any table
• Authorization: Row-level permissions per role
• Performance: Compiles GraphQL to single SQL query

---

Need custom GraphQL APIs or database tooling? I build developer tools. Check out my web scraping actors on Apify or reach out at [e-mail] for custom solutions.