python requests post graphql

Python Requests Post GraphQL

As a developer, I have come across many instances where I had to send HTTP requests to a server and receive responses. One such scenario is when I had to send a GraphQL query to a server using Python's Requests library.

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is a query language that allows developers to request specific data from an API. It was developed by Facebook and provides a more efficient, powerful, and flexible alternative to RESTful APIs. Unlike REST, where a client can only request predetermined data, GraphQL allows clients to specify the exact data they need, avoiding the over-fetching or under-fetching of data.

How to use Python Requests to Post GraphQL?

The first step is to install the Requests library using pip:

pip install requests

Once installed, we can use the requests.post() method to send a GraphQL query:

import requests

query = '''
query ($id: ID!) {
  user(id: $id) {
    name
    email
  }
}
'''

variables = {
    "id": 1
}

url = 'https://example.com/graphql'

response = requests.post(url, json={'query': query, 'variables': variables})

print(response.json())

In the above code snippet, we first define the GraphQL query and its variables. We then create a dictionary containing the query and its variables and pass it as a JSON object to the requests.post() method.

The response returned by the server is in JSON format, which can be easily parsed using Python's built-in JSON library.

Alternative methods

There are other ways to send a GraphQL query using Python. One such way is to use the Graphene library, which provides a simpler interface for working with GraphQL. Another way is to use the httpx library, which provides an async HTTP client with support for GraphQL queries.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using Python's Requests library to send GraphQL queries is a straightforward process. By specifying the query and its variables in a JSON object, we can easily send the query to the server and receive its response.