If you are working in JavaScript and web development space then you might have heard about , another exciting technology. GraphQL is gaining a lot of popularity because of its superiority over traditional .

Many big companies like Facebook, , , and have already started using it, which has also helped a lot in terms of
gaining popularity.

There is a good chance that you might have already have heard about GraphQL in blogs pots, on , or, in general Web but like many others not sure whether it’s worth learning or not and if yes, from where to start.Well, I have been learning GraphQL since last week and I would like to share some of the resources I have been using for my learning.If you happen to learn you can also get benefit from these tutorials and courses and if you happen to be a GraphQL expert, maybe you can advise if I am in the right direction or not. You can also suggest some of the great GraphQL resources which are not mentioned in this list and I should look.

Anyway, before I go into which courses and tutorials to learn GraphQL now, let me give you a brief overview of What is GraphQL and why should a web developer learn GraphQL.

The GraphQL is nothing but a query language from
Facebook which aims to solve pertinent problems with REST APIs like a
lot of endpoints, under-fetching, and over-fetching of data, and
versioning.

It provides a wrapper around APIs which makes it easier from front-end to use a single endpoint to get all the things they need.

For, example Github’s REST API for user data,
returns User details which contains 31 fields, if you are just
interested in id, location, and url then you are fetching a lot of
unnecessary data which could impact performance and scalability of your
application.

GraphQL solves this problem by wrapping this API and providing a simpler interface based upon your requirement.

It also makes it easier to evolve APIs over time and enables powerful
developer tools. Once you start using GraphQL I am sure you will also
start loving its flexibility, type-safety, and community of support.

Because of these awesome qualities, GraphQL is getting more and more popular every passing day and who knows it may replace in the coming years. Many companies like have already use GraphQL for their API. They have also built tools that can dynamically translate their to GraphQL.

If these things excite you and you want to try GraphQL or explore more,
you can check out the tutorials and courses, both free and paid, I am
going to share with you now.

Top 5 Online Courses to Learn GraphQL for Beginners

There are so many GraphQL resources on the internet and its difficult to
choose which one is the best, but, you don’t need to. All you need is
try a couple of courses and tutorials and stick to the one where you can
connect with the instructor, because, that’s what makes the whole
difference.

It doesn’t matter if that course is not in-depth or covers everything
about GraphQL because as a beginner its more important to learn
important stuff and learn them better.

As I have told you before, I was a nerd and preferred to learn everything
from books until a couple of years ago but now I totally rely on .

I found them more active, interesting, and engaging. So whenever I have
some free time like commuting to work and back, I learn from these
courses.

Anyway, enough about learning from online courses, now let’s see some of the GraphQL courses I have bought to learn GraphQL from scratch.

1. The Modern GraphQL Bootcamp (Advanced Node.js)

This is another from Udemy which will teach you how to build GraphQL applications using Node.js. Includes Prisma, authentication, Apollo Client, and much more.

If you have been on Udemy, you may know , one of the most popular instructors. Having attended his I have become a big fan of him, much like , , and he is also one of my favorite instructors.This is again a gem of the course and I strongly recommend this to every who wants to learn GraphQL. Andrew focuses on project-based learning which is IMHO the best way to learn a new or and this course is no exception.

here is the link to join this course —

You will first understand GraphQL concepts and what it offers in comparison to REST, before delving into details for creating GraphQL Schemas, building API and testing it.

On the social side, the course has on average 4.8 ratings from 1,137
ratings given by 8,211 students enrolled in this course, which means you
are not alone. A lot of people have joined this course and learned
GraphQL better.

2. GraphQL with React Course

In , you will learn and master GraphQL by building real web apps with React and Node JS. The course is perfect for both beginner and experienced developers starting with GraphQL.This is also the first GraphQL course I bought because I am a huge fan of Having attended his , I love how explains things and I am able to connect with him.

I not only like his teaching skills but also how he delivers his courses
and his subject matter expertise. All his courses are top class and this one is no different.

You will not only learn about GraphQL but also about Apolog clients to
communicate with GraphQL from your web application. You will also learn
to build single page application using and GraphQL.

You can sign up .

On the Social side, this course is one of the best-sellers with on average
4.6 ratings from close to 28,000 students which speaks volumes about
the quality of this course.

Though I like this course, there is one downside of this course, you need to know . If you don’t know then this is probably not the right course for you.

3. Complete guide to building a GraphQL API

If for some reason you are not able to connect to Stephen Grider’s course
or you don’t know but want to learn GraphQL then is another awesome course to start with.

In, instructor Xavier Decuyper will teach you everything you need to know to build your own GraphQL API. I particularly liked the way he compared REST with GraphQL and highlights the shortcomings of REST APIs in terms of over-fetching and under-fetching data.

This is also one of the , an average of 4.8 from 162 ratings given by 761 students enrolled. The
numbers are not as big as the first course but the material is awesome
and I can say that because I simply loved the course.

Here is the link to join the course —

On the downside, this is a short course with just 2 hours of content so
you won’t find a lot of supplementary stuff but if you are completely
focused on GraphQL and want to learn how to build GraphQL API with JavaScript and graphics then this is the course for you.

5. Building Scalable APIs with GraphQL

For a change, this is a .

Since I also have Pluralsight membership I often go there are looking
for courses and tutorials on the latest technology. Luckily I find this
course which is seriously awesome.

In , instructor Sameer Buna will teach you how to build and consume GraphQL APIs with real-world examples. You not only learn about consuming GraphQL APIs but also how to build your own GraphQL APIs.You’ll also learn about how to create a GraphQL schema and how to use it via an interface, including an HTTP-based one, along with different features of the GraphQL language as well as how to build them in a GraphQL server.In short, a , particularly if you have a Pluralsight membership. If not, I suggest you get one because Pluaralsight is an awesome place to learn new things.You can also take this course for free by taking their which provides 200 minutes of access (the course is 2 hours 10 m long) to all of their courses and tutorials.

here is the link to join this course —

7. GraphQL by Example

This is the fourth I bought on Udemy, yeah I often go on a shopping spree on Udemy, especially during their crazy sales when they sell courses on just $10 or less.

Anyway talking about this course, it’s also a project-based course and you
will learn GraphQL by creating a full-stack JavaScript application with , Express, Apollo Server, , Apollo Client.

This means you will not only learn how to consume GraphQL API using HTTP but also using Appolo clients. The course also teaches you essential things bout GraphQL Server and GraphQL SchemaTalking about social proof, the course has on average 4.6 ratings from 256 ratings given by 1,392 students enrolled, which is not bad. In short, a if you like learning by examples.

That’s all about some of the best courses to learn GraphQL for beginners. As I said, GraphQL looks really promising and can be used as an alternative to REST and many companies like Coursera are actually using that.

Since I have just started and still have a long
way to go but whatever I have learned so far, shows that GraphQL is here for the long run and every Web developer should explore it.

Btw, also has limitations like a GPL query always return an HTTP
status code of 200 OK, even if the query is not successful, this issue
can make error handling difficult. Another problem is Caching, GraphQL
lacks built-in caching support, so you must provide your own caching
support.

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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these GraphQL courses then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any
questions, books or courses which are useful for anyone learning
GraphQL, please drop a note.

P. S. — If you interested in learning GraphQL but looking for a free tutorial to start with the on Udemy is perfect to start with. It’s completely free and provides a nice overview of GraphQL from a beginner's perspective.

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