#8787th of 102 in Backends, databases and hosting
apollo-server
TypeScript GraphQL server library for Node.js, standalone or federated
- Stars
- 14k
- License
- MIT
- Last commit
- Nov 2026
- Last release
- May 2026
- Language
- TypeScript
13,882 on 21 Apr 202613,957 on 10 Nov 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
@apollo/server is a spec-compliant GraphQL server for Node.js, installed from npm alongside graphql. It ships a standalone HTTP server that handles CORS and body parsing, and can also run as a subgraph or gateway in an Apollo Federation supergraph. Express and other framework integrations are separate packages, community-maintained.
Who it is for: Node.js developers building GraphQL APIs or federated subgraphs
Strengths
- Standalone server works with two npm packages and about 20 lines of code
- Runs as a plain server, a federated subgraph, or a federation gateway
- Works with any GraphQL client and any data source
- Serves Apollo Sandbox in the browser for trying queries
Weaknesses
- Library only: no database, auth or storage included
- Framework integrations such as Express are community-maintained, not in the core package
- Standalone server offers no fine-grained control over HTTP behavior
- Most features are documented only on the external docs site
What it needs
- no GPU
- Needs Node.js, graphql
- port 4000
Quick answers
Is apollo-server open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
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