Data Loaders

DataLoaders batch and cache backend fetches during a single request. Axolotl’s Yoga adapter now supports per‑request context building so you can attach DataLoader instances safely for every request.

Install DataLoader in your project:

npm i dataloader

Quick Start (Yoga)

Expose loaders in per‑request context using the Yoga adapter context option.

src/axolotl.ts

import { Axolotl } from '@aexol/axolotl-core';
import { graphqlYogaWithContextAdapter } from '@aexol/axolotl-graphql-yoga';
import DataLoader from 'dataloader';
 
// Example backend fetcher
async function batchUsers(ids: readonly string[]) {
  // Replace with DB call that returns users in the same order as ids
  const rows = await db.users.findMany({ where: { id: { $in: ids as string[] } } });
  const byId = new Map(rows.map((u) => [u.id, u]));
  return ids.map((id) => byId.get(id) || null);
}
 
export const { applyMiddleware, createResolvers, createDirectives, adapter } = Axolotl(
  graphqlYogaWithContextAdapter<{ loaders: { userById: DataLoader<string, any> } }>(),
)();
 
export const server = adapter({
  resolvers: {/* ... */},
}).server;
 
// When starting server, pass context builder via adapter options
// (e.g., in src/index.ts):
//
// adapter({ resolvers, /* directives/scalars */ }, {
//   context: () => ({
//     loaders: {
//       userById: new DataLoader(batchUsers),
//     },
//   }),
// }).server.listen(4000)

Use loaders in resolvers via context.

src/resolvers.ts

import { createResolvers } from '@/src/axolotl.js';
 
export default createResolvers({
  Query: {
    user: async (input, args) => {
      return input[2].loaders.userById.load(args.id);
    },
  },
  Post: {
    author: (input) => input[2].loaders.userById.load(input.source.authorId),
  },
});

Notes

Scope loaders per request. Do not share DataLoader instances globally.
Compose multiple loaders in the context option. The Yoga adapter now builds context per request to support this pattern.
You can still pass static values via the first generic argument to graphqlYogaWithContextAdapter<Ctx>(). The context builder merges with those values on each request.
The Axolotl repo ships only the Yoga adapter today. Historical Apollo examples no longer apply.

Example DB Patterns

Ensure your batch function returns results in the same order as input keys.
Prefer fetching using a single query with $in logic and map the results.
Return null for missing records to preserve order.

Troubleshooting

“Context is reused across requests”: verify you’re using the adapter context option (a function), not a shared object.
“N+1 still happening”: confirm all resolvers use the loader access path from context, not direct DB reads.
“Types don’t match”: declare your context shape in graphqlYogaWithContextAdapter<Ctx>() so TypeScript knows where loaders live.

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