Apollo Federation is an architecture and platform for building a unified supergraph that composes multiple GraphQL APIs (subgraphs) into a single distributed GraphQL endpoint, enabling teams to work independently on different parts of the graph while delivering a unified API to consumers. Federation 2 is the current stable version, supported by the Apollo Router written in Rust and the Rover CLI for schema management.
URL: https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/
Run: Capabilities Using Naftiko
- API Gateway, Federation, GraphQL, Microservices, Open Source, Subgraphs, Supergraph
- Created: 2026-03-26
- Modified: 2026-04-19
Apollo Federation enables declarative composition of multiple subgraph APIs into a single federated supergraph. The Apollo Router orchestrates requests across subgraphs, combining GraphQL APIs and REST APIs (via Apollo Connectors) into a unified endpoint. Federation 2 defines the supergraph schema, federation directives, and composition rules. The Rover CLI manages schema publishing and checks.
Human URL: https://www.apollographql.com/docs/federation/
- API Gateway, Federation, GraphQL, Microservices, Open Source, REST Integration, Router, Subgraphs, Supergraph
- Documentation
- GettingStarted
- GitHubOrganization
- Federation Spec
- Apollo Router
- Rover CLI
- Subgraph Compatibility Tests
- JVM Support
- Blog
- Pricing
- SignUp
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Supergraph Composition | Compose multiple subgraph schemas into a single unified supergraph schema. |
| Federation Directives | Declarative federation directives (@key, @external, @requires, @provides, @shareable, @link) for schema coordination. |
| Apollo Router | High-performance Rust-based router that orchestrates queries across subgraphs. |
| Apollo Connectors | Declarative integration of REST APIs into federated graphs without writing a separate GraphQL server. |
| Schema Registry | Apollo GraphOS schema registry for publishing, checking, and managing supergraph schemas. |
| Rover CLI | Command-line tool for publishing subgraph schemas, running checks, and managing the supergraph. |
| Query Planning | Intelligent query planning that decomposes client queries into efficient subgraph requests. |
| Subgraph Compatibility | Federation-compatible subgraphs can be built in any language or framework. |
| Gray Release Support | Progressive schema rollout with incremental migration from monolith to federated graph. |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Distributed Team Development | Enable independent teams to own and develop separate subgraphs while delivering a unified API. |
| REST API Modernization | Gradually expose existing REST APIs as GraphQL via Apollo Connectors without full rewrites. |
| API Consolidation | Consolidate multiple disparate APIs into a single unified supergraph for consumers. |
| Microservices GraphQL Layer | Add a federated GraphQL layer over existing microservice architectures. |
| Schema Governance | Enforce schema design standards across all subgraphs via composition checks. |
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Anthropic | Apollo Connector for integrating Anthropic AI APIs into the supergraph. |
| OpenAI | Apollo Connector for integrating OpenAI APIs into the supergraph. |
| AWS DynamoDB | Apollo Connector for AWS DynamoDB via REST API integration. |
| AWS Lambda | Apollo Connector for AWS Lambda function invocation. |
| Stripe | Apollo Connector for Stripe payment API integration. |
| OData | Apollo Connector for OData REST API integration. |
| Strapi | Apollo Connector for Strapi CMS API integration. |
| Kubernetes | Deploy Apollo Router as a Kubernetes service via Helm charts and operator patterns. |
| Terraform | Official Terraform provider for Apollo GraphOS management. |
Machine-readable API specifications organized by format.
FN: Kin Lane
Email: kin@apievangelist.com