Lighthouse vs Strawberry GraphQL

Lighthouse is a framework for serving GraphQL from an existing Laravel application. It uses GraphQL Schema Definition Language and server-side directives to describe data and add behavior, while reusing Laravel concepts and Eloquent models. Built-in directives can create records, resolve relationships, apply query constraints, paginate results, and validate fields and arguments. Developers can add custom directives for reusable behavior, while the @can directive family can use Laravel Policies to restrict field operations. The default endpoint is `/graphql`, and any GraphQL client can use it. Lighthouse also supports standard Laravel authentication mechanisms, including Sanctum, and GraphQL subscriptions for event updates. Parsed queries can be cached with Laravel cache stores or local PHP files using OPcache; Automatic Persisted Queries are supported with Apollo compatibility. Installation uses Composer in a Laravel or Lumen project. The package is free and self-hosted. GraphQL tooling such as GraphiQL is not included, and federation support is experimental and cannot serve as a federation gateway.

Strawberry GraphQL is a free, open-source Python library for creating GraphQL APIs. It uses Python type hints to define schemas and support a developer-oriented workflow. Async/await allows resolvers to run without blocking, while schema and field extensions provide places for custom logic. Generics support reusable types, and federated GraphQL schemas are supported. Built-in dataloaders can batch multiple queries into one. Documentation lists integrations for Django, Channels, FastAPI, Flask, Quart, Sanic, Chalice, Starlette, Litestar and AIOHTTP, while noting that the integration table may not be current. Installation uses pip and requires Python 3.10 or later. Strawberry is MIT licensed and intended for self-hosted deployment. Authentication is handled by the web framework; authorization uses Permissions classes. API explorer, client code generation and operation testing are listed. Enterprise support is available through Farbun.