How to update session from within a graphql resolver using apollo-server-epxress

Question

I have a graphql server based on apollo-server-express.

My resolvers typically do REST requests on a legacy API. One of the resolvers performs user authentication by sending the username and password to the backend server. The response includes a token that is used for the authentication of subsequent requests.

At the moment I pass the token to my client application includes it in the subsequent requests.

I would now like to save this token in the epxress-session so that it can be then be passed in the context of subsequent resolvers implicitly,

but I don't see how I can update request.session after a response is received in the resolver.

Daniel Rearden Daniel Rearden · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-01T01:17:35

First, expose the session object to the resolvers by including it in your context. express-graphql includes the request object as your context by default, but I don't think Apollo server's middleware shares that behavior -- instead we need to explicitly define the context.

app.use('/graphql', bodyParser.json(), (req, res, next) => {
  const context = { session:req.session }
  graphqlExpress({ schema })(req, res, next)
})

Then, inside your resolver, just add the returned token to the session object:

const loginResolver = (obj, {username, password}, context) => {
  return apiAuthCall(username, password)
    .then(token => {
      context.session.token = token
      return // whatever other data, could just be a boolean indicated whether the login was successful
    })
}

How to update session from within a graphql resolver using apollo-server-epxress

1 Answers