Mock GraphQL-Style JSON Response

GraphQL-Style Response

GraphQL responses follow a specific structure defined by the GraphQL specification. Even if you are building a REST API, understanding this pattern is valuable because many modern APIs adopt similar conventions.

Response Structure

{
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "id": "uuid",
      "name": "string",
      "email": "email",
      "posts": [
        {
          "id": "uuid",
          "title": "string",
          "comments": [
            { "id": "uuid", "body": "string" }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

GraphQL Conventions

Field	Description
data	The successful response payload; matches the shape of the query
errors	Optional array of error objects when the query partially or fully fails
extensions	Optional metadata (query complexity, execution time, etc.)

Partial Errors

Unlike REST where a response is either success or error, GraphQL can return both data and errors simultaneously. For example, a query for user data and their posts might succeed for the user but fail for the posts:

{
  "data": {
    "user": { "id": "123", "name": "Alice" },
    "posts": null
  },
  "errors": [
    { "message": "Posts service unavailable", "path": ["posts"] }
  ]
}

Testing GraphQL Clients

This mock is useful for testing Apollo Client, urql, or Relay integrations. You can verify that your client correctly handles the nested data structure, updates the cache, and processes partial errors.