Altair GraphQL Client vs GraphQL.js

Altair GraphQL Client is an IDE for running and debugging GraphQL queries, mutations and subscriptions. It formats queries, supports file uploads using the multipart specification, and can export query collections. Users can set environment variables for endpoints, headers and queries, then browse schema types and operations in a documentation explorer. Pre-request and post-request scripts and an extensible plugin system add customization options. Altair GraphQL Cloud provides centralized query management, collections, query versioning and shareable query URLs. Official integration packages include Express middleware, Koa middleware, a static build and a Gatsby plugin. The free Basic plan lists up to two team members and 20 queries; Pro costs $7.99 a month per user and lists unlimited team members, teams and queries. The client is available as a web app and on desktop platforms, including Linux, macOS and Windows, with extension and self-hosted options. The maker says the web app is for quick or one-time use, not full development, because it has limitations. Documentation warns that introspection can expose an API schema and that Content Security Policy support is beta.

GraphQL.js is the official JavaScript implementation of the GraphQL specification. It provides a parser, validator, executor, type system and related utilities for building GraphQL servers, clients, tools and schema workflows in JavaScript or TypeScript. Developers define a type schema and serve queries against it; the graphql function checks syntax and semantics before execution and reports invalid queries. Documentation identifies v17 as the current stable release, with v16 available for projects requiring older Node.js versions. Getting-started instructions require Node.js 22 or newer and provide installation commands for npm, pnpm, yarn and bun. The library runs in Node servers and browsers, distributes CommonJS and ESModule files, and the project says webpack and rollup builds should work. It is MIT-licensed, free, distributed through npm and intended for self-hosted deployment. Latest and previous major versions receive stated support, but no Long-Term Support version is offered.