Ariadne vs Hot Chocolate
Ariadne
ariadnegraphql.org
Hot Chocolate
chillicream.comSide by side
| Figure | Ariadne | Hot Chocolate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · GraphQL Tools | 8.1 (#5) | 8.1 (#6) |
| Headquarters | Wrocław, Poland | Wilmington, Delaware, United States |
| Purpose | Ariadne is a Python library for building GraphQL APIs with a schema-first approach. | Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server for .NET that runs on ASP.NET Core. |
| Security | Ariadne's security documentation says GraphQL APIs can carry risks including denial-of-service attacks and credential leakage, and provides mitigation guidance. | Hot Chocolate integrates with ASP.NET Core authentication and supports JWT, cookies, and other authentication schemes. |
| Support | The site lists a project email address for community contact: [email protected]. | ChilliCream lists community support as free and paid support plans starting at $450 per month for Startup, with two critical incidents included. |
Plans
In their own words
Ariadne
Ariadne is an open-source Python library for building GraphQL APIs with a schema-first design. Developers describe an API using GraphQL Schema Definition Language and connect schema fields to application logic with resolver functions. The server supports asynchronous and synchronous query execution and can be served through WSGI or ASGI apps. The project describes interoperability with web frameworks and includes a Django integration example. Ariadne Codegen creates a typed Python client and Pydantic models from a GraphQL schema and operations; generated client results are validated against those models at runtime. An optional SQLAlchemy 2.0 integration supports synchronous sessions in WSGI and ASGI, while AsyncSession is limited to ASGI and has a documented limitation involving sibling root fields. Ariadne implements the GraphQL multipart request specification for uploads. Its default Upload scalar is write-only and supports values passed through variables. Security documentation discusses denial-of-service and credential-leakage risks and gives mitigation guidance. Ariadne is self-hosted and free, and the site lists Linux, web, and API platforms.
Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate is an open-source GraphQL server for.NET that runs on ASP.NET Core and builds a GraphQL schema from C# types and resolvers. Developers can define typed schemas through implementation-first or code-first methods. It supports GraphQL over HTTP and WebSocket, plus Server-Sent Events for streaming responses. Documentation describes schema downloads, a Nitro GraphQL IDE endpoint, and a command-line interface for schema export. Data integrations include Entity Framework, MongoDB, and Marten; DataLoaders and batch resolvers help batch and cache related requests. OpenTelemetry instrumentation covers server, execution, and DataLoader activity. Security guidance recommends query cost analysis, pagination and execution-depth limits, and timeouts for public APIs; trusted documents can restrict private APIs to registered operations. Servers can act as Fusion subgraphs. Hot Chocolate implements the GraphQL 2025 specification and GraphQL over HTTP, and supports spec-compliant clients including Strawberry Shake, Relay, and Apollo Client. It is MIT licensed for commercial or private use. Community support is free; paid Startup support starts at $450 per month and includes two critical incidents.