GraphQL: the enterprise honeymoon is over By John James Published on December 14, 2025 Read time ~3 min
I’ve used GraphQL, specifically Apollo Client and Server, for a couple of years in a real enterprise-grade application.
Not a toy app. Not a greenfield startup. A proper production setup with multiple teams, BFFs, downstream services, observability requirements, and real users.
And after all that time, I’ve come to a pretty boring conclusion:
GraphQL solves a real problem, but that problem is far more niche than people admit. In most enterprise setups, it’s already solved elsewhere, and when you add up the tradeoffs, GraphQL often ends up being a net negative.
This isn’t a “GraphQL bad” post. It’s a “GraphQL after the honeymoon” post.
what GraphQL is supposed to solve
The main problem GraphQL tries to solve is overfetching.
The idea is simple and appealing:
the client asks for exactly the fields it needs
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