Getting Started with GraphQL in Vue 3 — Complete Setup with Apollo

Introduction

For over a year now, I’ve been working with GraphQL and a Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) at my job. Before this role, I had only worked with REST APIs and Axios, so it’s been a big learning curve. That’s why I want to share everything I’ve learned over the past months with you. I’ll start with a small introduction and continue adding more posts over time.

What is GraphQL and why should Vue developers care?

GraphQL is a query language for APIs.
You send a query describing the data you want, and the server gives you exactly that. Nothing more. Nothing less.

For Vue developers, this means:

• Less boilerplate — no stitching REST calls together
• Better typing — GraphQL schemas fit TypeScript perfectly
• Faster apps — fetch only what you need

GraphQL and the Vue 3 Composition API go together like coffee and morning sun.
Highly reactive. Highly type-safe. Way less code.

Try it yourself

Here is a GraphQL explorer you can use right now. Try this query:

query {
  countries {
    name
    emoji
    capital
  }
}

💡 If the embed breaks, open it in a new tab.

Under the hood: GraphQL is just HTTP

GraphQL feels magical.
Underneath, it is just an HTTP POST request to a single endpoint like /graphql.

Here is what a query looks like in code:

const COUNTRIES = gql`
  query AllCountries {
    countries {
      code
      name
      emoji
    }
  }
`

Apollo transforms that into a regular POST request:

curl 'https://countries.trevorblades.com/graphql' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
    "operationName": "AllCountries",
    "variables": {},
    "query": "query AllCountries { countries { code name emoji } }"
  }'

Request parts:

• operationName: for debugging
• variables: if your query needs inputs
• query: your actual GraphQL query

The server parses it, runs it, and spits back a JSON shaped exactly like you asked.
That is it. No special protocol. No magic. Just structured HTTP.

GraphQL as your BFF (Backend For Frontend)

One of GraphQL’s real superpowers: it makes an amazing Backend For Frontend layer.

When your frontend pulls from multiple services or APIs, GraphQL lets you:

• Merge everything into a single request
• Transform and normalize data easily
• Centralize error handling
• Create one clean source of truth

And thanks to caching:

• You make fewer requests
• You fetch smaller payloads
• You invalidate cache smartly based on types

Compared to fetch or axios juggling REST endpoints, GraphQL feels like you just switched from horse-drawn carriage to spaceship.

It gives you:

• Declarative fetching — describe the data, let GraphQL figure out the rest
• Type inference — strong IDE autocomplete, fewer runtime bugs
• Built-in caching — Apollo handles it for you
• Real-time updates — subscriptions for the win
• Better errors — clean structured error responses

Where Apollo fits in

Apollo Client is the most popular GraphQL client for a reason.

It gives you:

• Caching out of the box — like TanStack Query, but built for GraphQL
• Smart hooks — useQuery, useMutation, useSubscription
• Fine control — decide when to refetch or serve from cache
• Real-time support — subscriptions with WebSockets made easy

If you know TanStack Query, the mapping is simple:

Main difference: Apollo speaks GraphQL natively. It understands operations, IDs, and types on a deeper level.

Now let us build something real.

1. Bootstrap a fresh Vue 3 project

npm create vite@latest vue3-graphql-setup -- --template vue-ts
cd vue3-graphql-setup
npm install

2. Install GraphQL and Apollo

npm install graphql graphql-tag @apollo/client @vue/apollo-composable

3. Create an Apollo plugin

Create src/plugins/apollo.ts:

import { DefaultApolloClient } from "@vue/apollo-composable";
import type { App } from "vue";
import { ApolloClient, createHttpLink, InMemoryCache } from '@apollo/client/core'

const httpLink = createHttpLink({
  uri: 'https://countries.trevorblades.com/graphql'
})

const cache = new InMemoryCache()

const apolloClient = new ApolloClient({
  link: httpLink,
  cache,
})

export const apolloPlugin = {
  install(app: App) {
    app.provide(DefaultApolloClient, apolloClient);
  },
};

This wraps Apollo cleanly inside a Vue plugin and provides it across the app.

4. Install the plugin

Edit src/main.ts:

import { createApp } from 'vue'
import App from './App.vue'
import { apolloPlugin } from './plugins/apollo'
import './style.css'

const app = createApp(App)

app.use(apolloPlugin)

app.mount('#app')

Done. Apollo is now everywhere in your app.

5. Your first GraphQL query

Create src/components/CountryList.vue:

<script setup lang="ts">
import { useQuery } from '@vue/apollo-composable'
import gql from 'graphql-tag'

const COUNTRIES = gql`
  query AllCountries {
    countries {
      code
      name
      emoji
    }
  }
`

const { result, loading, error } = useQuery(COUNTRIES)
</script>

<template>
  <section>
    <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold mb-4">🌎 Countries (GraphQL)</h1>

    <p v-if="loading">Loading…</p>
    <p v-else-if="error" class="text-red-600">{{ error.message }}</p>

    <ul v-else class="grid gap-1">
      <li v-for="c in result?.countries" :key="c.code">
        {{ c.emoji }} {{ c.name }}
      </li>
    </ul>
  </section>
</template>

Drop it into App.vue:

<template>
  <CountryList />
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import CountryList from './components/CountryList.vue'
</script>

Fire up your dev server:

npm run dev

You should see a live list of countries.
No REST call nightmares. No complex wiring.

6. Bonus: add stronger types (optional)

Apollo already types generically.
If you want perfect types per query, you can add GraphQL Code Generator.

I will show you how in the next post. For now, enjoy basic type-safety.

7. Recap and what is next

✅ Set up Vue 3 and Vite
✅ Installed Apollo Client and connected it
✅ Ran first GraphQL query and rendered data
✅ Learned about proper GraphQL package imports

👉 Coming next: Type-Safe Queries in Vue 3 with graphql-codegen
We will generate typed useQuery composables and retire manual interfaces for good.

Source Code

Find the full demo here: example

Note:
The code for this tutorial is on the part-one branch.
After cloning the repository, make sure to check out the correct branch:

git clone https://github.com/alexanderop/vue-graphql-simple-example.git
cd vue-graphql-simple-example
git checkout part-one

View the branch directly on GitHub