PostGraphile v5 Presets

Create and compose PostGraphile v5 presets for configuring your GraphQL API.

Official Documentation

•Configuration: https://postgraphile.org/postgraphile/next/config
•Presets & Plugins: https://postgraphile.org/postgraphile/next/preset-and-plugin-options

When to Apply

Use this skill when:

•Setting up a new PostGraphile v5 server
•Creating a custom preset that combines multiple features
•Disabling unwanted default plugins
•Configuring schema options

Quick Start

Basic Preset Structure

typescript

import type { GraphileConfig } from 'graphile-config';

export const MyPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  // Extend other presets
  extends: [
    OtherPreset,
  ],
  
  // Add plugins
  plugins: [
    MyPlugin,
  ],
  
  // Disable plugins by name
  disablePlugins: [
    'PluginToDisable',
  ],
  
  // Schema configuration
  schema: {
    // Schema options here
  },
  
  // Grafserv (HTTP server) configuration
  grafserv: {
    port: 5433,
    graphqlPath: '/graphql',
    graphiqlPath: '/graphiql',
  },
};

Preset Composition

Extending Multiple Presets

Presets are merged in order - later presets override earlier ones:

typescript

import { PostGraphileAmberPreset } from 'postgraphile/presets/amber';
import { PostGraphileConnectionFilterPreset } from 'postgraphile-plugin-connection-filter';

export const MyPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [
    PostGraphileAmberPreset,           // Base preset
    PostGraphileConnectionFilterPreset, // Adds filter plugin
    MinimalPreset,                      // Our customizations
    InflektPreset,                      // Custom inflection
  ],
};

Creating a Composable Preset

Make your preset easy to combine with others:

typescript

// Good: Single-purpose preset
export const NoRelayPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  disablePlugins: [
    'NodePlugin',
    'PgTableNodePlugin',
  ],
};

// Good: Preset that adds one feature
export const FilterPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [PostGraphileConnectionFilterPreset],
  schema: {
    connectionFilterRelations: false,
  },
};

// Then combine them
export const MyAppPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [
    PostGraphileAmberPreset,
    NoRelayPreset,
    FilterPreset,
  ],
};

Disabling Plugins

By Plugin Name

Use disablePlugins array with plugin names as strings:

typescript

export const MinimalPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  disablePlugins: [
    // Node/Relay plugins
    'NodePlugin',
    'AddNodeInterfaceToSuitableTypesPlugin',
    'NodeIdCodecBase64JSONPlugin',
    'NodeIdCodecPipeStringPlugin',
    'RegisterQueryNodePlugin',
    'NodeAccessorPlugin',
    'PgNodeIdAttributesPlugin',
    'PgTableNodePlugin',
    
    // Connection filter relation plugins
    'PgConnectionArgFilterBackwardRelationsPlugin',
    'PgConnectionArgFilterForwardRelationsPlugin',
  ],
};

Finding Plugin Names

Plugin names are the name property of the plugin object. Check the source code or use the InflectorLoggerPlugin to see what's being generated.

Schema Configuration

Common Schema Options

typescript

export const MyPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  schema: {
    // Connection filter options
    connectionFilterRelations: false,
    connectionFilterComputedColumns: false,
    connectionFilterSetofFunctions: false,
    connectionFilterLogicalOperators: true,
    connectionFilterArrays: true,
    
    // Other schema options
    pgJwtSecret: process.env.JWT_SECRET,
    pgDefaultRole: 'app_anonymous',
  },
};

Server Configuration

Grafserv Options

typescript

export const MyPreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  grafserv: {
    port: 5433,
    graphqlPath: '/graphql',
    graphiqlPath: '/graphiql',
    websockets: true,
    watch: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development',
  },
};

Using Presets

With makePgService

typescript

import { postgraphile } from 'postgraphile';
import { makePgService } from 'postgraphile/adaptors/pg';
import { MyPreset } from './preset';

const preset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [MyPreset],
  pgServices: [
    makePgService({
      connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
      schemas: ['public', 'app'],
    }),
  ],
};

const pgl = postgraphile(preset);

With Express

typescript

import express from 'express';
import { createServer } from 'http';
import { postgraphile } from 'postgraphile';
import { grafserv } from 'postgraphile/grafserv/express/v4';

const app = express();
const server = createServer(app);

const pgl = postgraphile(preset);
const serv = pgl.createServ(grafserv);

await serv.addTo(app, server);

server.listen(5433, () => {
  console.log('Server running on http://localhost:5433');
});

Complete Example

typescript

import type { GraphileConfig } from 'graphile-config';
import { PostGraphileAmberPreset } from 'postgraphile/presets/amber';
import { PostGraphileConnectionFilterPreset } from 'postgraphile-plugin-connection-filter';
import { makePgService } from 'postgraphile/adaptors/pg';

// Custom plugins
import { MinimalPreset } from './plugins/minimal-preset';
import { InflektPreset } from './plugins/custom-inflector';
import { PrimaryKeyOnlyPreset } from './plugins/primary-key-only';

export const ConstructivePreset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [
    MinimalPreset,                      // No Node/Relay
    InflektPreset,                      // Custom naming
    PrimaryKeyOnlyPreset,               // Only PK lookups
    PostGraphileConnectionFilterPreset, // Filter plugin
  ],
  disablePlugins: [
    'PgConnectionArgFilterBackwardRelationsPlugin',
    'PgConnectionArgFilterForwardRelationsPlugin',
  ],
  schema: {
    connectionFilterRelations: false,
    connectionFilterComputedColumns: false,
  },
};

// Usage
const preset: GraphileConfig.Preset = {
  extends: [ConstructivePreset],
  pgServices: [
    makePgService({
      connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
      schemas: ['public'],
    }),
  ],
  grafserv: {
    port: 5433,
    graphqlPath: '/graphql',
    graphiqlPath: '/graphiql',
  },
};

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Plugin not disabled	Check exact plugin name (case-sensitive)
Preset not applied	Verify extends order (later overrides earlier)
Schema option ignored	Some options require specific plugins to be enabled
Type errors	Ensure `graphile-config` types are installed

References

•PostGraphile v5 Configuration Docs: https://postgraphile.org/postgraphile/next/config
•See graphile-v5-minimal skill for disabling Node/Relay
•See graphile-v5-behaviors skill for controlling what gets generated
•See graphile-v5-plugins skill for creating custom plugins
•See graphile-v5-debugging skill for graphile config print CLI command