Using urql subscriptions with Django/Python backend

[nhill-cpi]

Hi all,

I'm reading the url subscriptions documentation and the two examples they give of subscription clients use Apollo Server and graphqh-ws. Do you know how I might set up a subscription for a Django/python backend? Would I pass in a websocket client to the subscriptionExchanges? Thanks!

[JoviDeCroock]

The backend implementation doesn't really matter, if you expose a ws:endpoint it will connect when you use either of these client-libraries. So both graphql-ws and subscriptions-transport-ws will work on the client, you need to pass the endpoint that is exposed from your backend

[nhill-cpi]

Thanks for your quick reply @JoviDeCroock . So even though I'm using the urql client, I would use the graphql-ws client just for the urql subscriptions part? Sorry if I'm misunderstanding something.

[JoviDeCroock]

Yes so for instance, your django GraphQL backend exposes a subscriptions endpoint on ws://localhost:3000 then we can connect from our client-side urql like this:

import { Client, defaultExchanges, subscriptionExchange } from 'urql';
import { SubscriptionClient } from 'subscriptions-transport-ws';

const subscriptionClient = new SubscriptionClient('ws://localhost:3000/graphql', { reconnect: true }); // the websocket endpoint

const client = new Client({
  url: 'http://localhost:3000/graphql', // The regular query and mutations endpoint
  exchanges: [
    ...defaultExchanges,
    subscriptionExchange({
      forwardSubscription(operation) {
        return subscriptionClient.request(operation);
      },
    }),
  ],
});

We don't offer any utilities for the server-side (your DJango stuff) we handle the client-side, which is a protocol that will be followed by your DJango GraphQL implementation

[nhill-cpi]

Great, thanks for the clarification. I've got the backend covered - just wondered about the subscription client.