gqlgen

What gqlgen is

gqlgen is a free Go library for building GraphQL servers. Developers define a schema in GraphQL Schema Definition Language, and gqlgen generates code from it, including models and server runtime code. The project emphasizes type safety and says its workflow is designed to avoid routine use of map[string]interface{}. Listed operations include queries, mutations, and subscriptions, alongside federation support. Developers can bind schema types to custom Go models and generate explicit field resolvers. Documentation recipes cover Apollo Federation, authentication, CORS, Gin, and subscriptions; the authentication approach passes details through context. The getting-started guide runs a generated server with go run server.go and opens it at localhost:8080. gqlgen supports project scaffolding, custom templates, schema-to-code generation, and a CLI. It is self-hosted, with Go listed as both its supported and server language, and no paid plans listed. The configuration documentation notes that user-configurable directives are not supported for scalar, enum, interface, or union types. For very large type systems above 65,000 methods, it identifies function syntax for execution context as an option.

Who it suits

It suits Go developers building GraphQL servers who prefer generating code from a schema and working with custom Go models. Its recipes may also help developers integrating authentication, CORS, Gin, subscriptions, or federation.

Getting started

1. Visit https://gqlgen.com/.
2. Use the Go library and CLI to scaffold a project.
3. Define the GraphQL schema in GraphQL Schema Definition Language.
4. Generate the server code and run it with go run server.go.
5. Open the server at localhost:8080.

Verdict

gqlgen offers a schema-first, code-generating approach for Go GraphQL servers, with support for common operations and federation. Its documented directive restriction is worth checking against the schema features you need.