Defining Entities

Entities are the building blocks of Apollo Federation. They’re types that can be resolved across multiple subgraphs using a unique key.

Basic Entity Definition

Use the graphql.entity option on your protobuf messages:

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    resolvable: true
  };
  
  string id = 1 [(graphql.field) = { required: true }];
  string name = 2;
  string email = 3 [(graphql.field) = { shareable: true }];
}

Entity Options

Generated GraphQL

The above proto generates:

type User @key(fields: "id") {
  id: ID!
  name: String
  email: String @shareable
}

Composite Keys

Use space-separated fields for composite keys:

message Product {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "sku region"
    resolvable: true
  };
  
  string sku = 1 [(graphql.field) = { required: true }];
  string region = 2 [(graphql.field) = { required: true }];
  string name = 3;
}

Generated:

type Product @key(fields: "sku region") {
  sku: ID!
  region: ID!
  name: String
}

Multiple Keys

Define multiple key sets by repeating the graphql.entity option or using multiple key definitions:

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    resolvable: true
  };
  
  string id = 1;
  string email = 2;  // Could also be a key
}

Resolvable vs Non-Resolvable

Resolvable Entities

When resolvable: true, this subgraph can fully resolve the entity:

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    resolvable: true  // Can resolve User by id
  };
  
  string id = 1;
  string name = 2;
  string email = 3;
}

Stub Entities

When resolvable: false, this subgraph only references the entity:

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    resolvable: false  // Cannot resolve, just references
  };
  
  string id = 1 [(graphql.field) = { external: true }];
}

Real-World Example

Users Service (owns User entity):

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    resolvable: true
  };
  
  string id = 1 [(graphql.field) = { required: true }];
  string name = 2 [(graphql.field) = { shareable: true }];
  string email = 3 [(graphql.field) = { shareable: true }];
}

Reviews Service (references User):

message Review {
  string id = 1;
  string body = 2;
  User author = 3;  // Reference to User from Users service
}

message User {
  option (graphql.entity) = {
    keys: "id"
    extend: true  // Extending User from another subgraph
  };
  
  string id = 1 [(graphql.field) = { external: true, required: true }];
  repeated Review reviews = 2 [(graphql.field) = { requires: "id" }];
}

Key Field Requirements

Key fields should be:

1. Marked as required - Use required: true
2. Non-null in responses - Always return a value
3. Consistent across subgraphs - Same type everywhere