When we first covered GraphQL in the Radar, we cautioned that its misuse can lead to antipatterns which, in the long run, has more disadvantages than benefits. Nevertheless, we’ve seen an increasing interest in GraphQL among our teams because of its ability to aggregate information from different resources. This time we want to caution you about using Apollo Federation and its strong support for a single unified data graph for your company. Even though at first glance the idea of having ubiquitous concepts across the organization is tempting, we have to take into account previous similar attempts in the industry — such as MDM and canonical data model among others — that have exposed the pitfalls of this approach. The challenges can be significant, especially when the domain we find ourselves in is complex enough to create a unique unified model.
