GraphQL Java vs GraphQL Kotlin
GraphQL Java
graphql-java.comGraphQL Kotlin
opensource.expediagroup.comSide by side
| Figure | GraphQL Java | GraphQL Kotlin |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · GraphQL Tools | 7.5 (#18) | 8.0 (#8) |
| Integrations | The homepage lists Spring GraphQL, Netflix DGS, and Atlassian alongside GraphQL Java. | Reference client implementations use Ktor HTTP Client and Spring WebClient, and custom implementations can use other engines. |
| Purpose | GraphQL Java is a Java implementation of GraphQL for building GraphQL services on the JVM. | GraphQL Kotlin is a collection of libraries built on graphql-java to run GraphQL clients and servers in Kotlin. |
| Support | The project directs users to GitHub Discussions for questions and says it is run by volunteer maintainers. | The maintainers invite questions through GitHub Discussions and the public #graphql-kotlin channel on Kotlin Slack. |
Plans
In their own words
GraphQL Java
GraphQL Java has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
GraphQL Kotlin
GraphQL Kotlin is a free Apache License 2.0 collection of libraries, built on graphql-java, for running GraphQL clients and servers in Kotlin. Its schema generator creates schemas from Kotlin code, and a federation module can produce Apollo Federation-compliant schemas. Gradle and Maven plugins generate type-safe Kotlin clients from existing schemas. Generated clients support queries, mutations, batching, coroutines, custom scalars, configurable enum defaults, and Jackson or kotlinx.serialization models. Reference HTTP integrations use Ktor HTTP Client and Spring WebClient, while custom engines are possible. Server implementations target Spring Boot and Ktor; the Spring server uses Spring WebFlux. Ktor supports Kotlin Flow subscriptions over WebSockets with the graphql-transport-ws subprotocol. Its plugin leaves route configuration to the application, allowing selective routes and added authentication logic. The schema generator supports Kotlin Lists, but Sets, arbitrary Maps, and arrays are not supported out of the box. The project is self-hosted, with security guidance in its repository and community support through GitHub Discussions and Kotlin Slack.