Over the past few years, we’ve talked a lot about GraphQL’s impact on the way code is written. We released our own GraphQL content API at the end of 2018 for enterprise customers, and now we’ve made our GraphQL content API available to everyone.

GraphQL’s strength lies in its flexibility and specificity. In a single query, you can ask for exactly what you want — regardless of content type — with the help of GraphQL's strongly-typed schema. Applications run faster because compact queries return small responses without unnecessary response data. Developers are happy because this reduces the need for response parsing and additional tooling. Editors, writers and other users are happy because it allows the whole organization to work in a more agile way and everyone can quickly access content from multiple sources.

To celebrate GraphQL hitting general availability, Contentful’s Developer Evangelist Stefan Judis created a free-to-watch course to teach you everything you need to know about GraphQL. He’ll walk you through the process of creating a portfolio site using React and the Contentful GraphQL API.  

In this GraphQL course you'll learn:

• What GraphQL is and why you should use it 

• How to get started with your first GraphQL projects using React hooks

• How to take advantage of the Contentful GraphQL API

• How to integrate Contentful Rich Text 

Syllabus 

1. What is GraphQL?

2. Exploring GraphQL endpoints using GraphiQL

3. Fetching component data using useState and useEffect

4. Environment variables in create-react-app

5. Writing a custom Contentful hook

6. Catching GraphQL API errors

7. Nailing down components with React PropTypes

8. Image transformation using Contentful's Images API

9. Rendering of Contentful Rich Text

10. Contentful references in GraphQL

11. GraphQL fragments and query complexity

12. Previewing data with GraphQL query variables

13. Dynamic responses with GraphQL directives

14. Outro and additional resources

Head over to our GraphQL course page, and please reach out via the Contentful Community Slack if you need any help.

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