How much does it cost to hire an offshore GraphQL developer?

GraphQL is a language and server-side runtime for application programming interfaces (APIs). It helps to provide the users with the exact information they ask from the server. GraphQL makes the APIs flexible, developer-friendly, and fast.

There are some advantages why using GraphQL for your business:

• Speed. Clients get the exact data they want without extra costs as GraphQL proceeds the requests in a single trip.
• Organization. GraphQL can gather and manage the entire API.
• Introspectivity. GraphQL allows its clients to request the available data types, which is a good option for auto-generating documentation.
• The strict data type definition. It reduces miscommunication between the server and the client for easier and faster operations.
• GraphQL offers features and extensions which you cannot find in REST API.

Developers use GraphQL for the following needs:

• Software development where bandwidth is required and important.
• Applications with fetched data in a single call. Those can be networks where you need to have posts with fetched comments and other details.
• Composite patterns have to access data and retrieve it from multiple APIs.
• Facade pattern. This pattern helps developers to make complex APIs simple.
• Proxy pattern. It helps to add some new functionality to the old API to increase the user experience by helping users specify the response structures depending on their needs.

There are several tools that GraphQL developers can take advantage from:

• GraphCMS. Content Management System provides developers with the ability to manage the structures which need programmatically sharing data. It helps to have more flexible management for users, compared to common CMSs.
• GraphQL Docs. It helps to easily and fast generate the GraphQL documentation with endpoint URL.
• GraphQL Network. It is a Chrome tool for an easier debugging process.
• GraphQL Bindings. This tool helps to share and reuse GraphQL APIs as modular building blocks.
• GraphQL CLI. It is a command-line tool that provides developers with tools for creating, managing, and running GraphQL applications.
• GraphQL Boilerplates. It is a flexible NodeJS based tool that full-stack and back-end engineers often use.
• Apollo. Apollo GraphQL platform is an implementation of GraphQL which allows developers to transfer data from the cloud to the UI of the application.

GraphQL developer is a specialist whose field of specialization is software API development. As it is about writing APIs, the GraphQL developers are not limited only to it. GraphQL developers can take the role of full-stack developers or back-end developers, Java developers, JavaScript developers, or even Ruby developers, depending on the project and their qualification.

There are three types of GraphQL developers based on their experience level:

• Junior GraphQL developers
  Junior GraphQL developers have from zero to two years of experience. They must have basic knowledge of GraphQL and data systems and be familiar with one of the common programming languages (Python, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, etc.). Junior developers work in a team with more experienced developers who can help them grow and level up their knowledge in software development.
• Middle GraphQL developers
  Middle GraphQL developers have from three to five years of experience and are required to have a deeper understanding of GraphQL, be familiar with at least one programming language, and have intermediate knowledge of databases and data systems. These developers also work in teams, but they can come up with the ideas of software solutions and project improvements and independently work with their tasks.
• Senior GraphQL developers
  Senior GraphQL engineers have more than five years of experience. They have advanced knowledge of API development experience with microservices architectures and cloud services (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure). They also should know several programming languages and frameworks (AngularJS, ReactJS, Spring Boot, etc.). Senior software engineers should also have good personal and management skills. They are usually responsible for team collaboration and the leading of junior developers.

There are some tasks and responsibilities which GraphQL developers have:

• Create and design the GraphQL schema.
• Develop GraphQL APIs.
• Write clean code.
• Contribute to software development (backend and frontend development).
• Plan and manage tasks to achieve good results.

A GraphQL developer should have the following set of required skills:

• Experience with GraphQL.
• Experience with databases, such as MongoDB, Oracle, and MySQL.
• Acquaintance with several programming languages.
• Knowledge of web development languages (HTML, CSS, PHP) and frameworks (AngularJS, ReactJS, Spring Boot, etc.).

There are three types of developers which you can hire in your company: freelancers, in-house engineers, and outsourced developers.

• Freelance GraphQL developers
  The first option you can try is a freelance GraphQL developer. Freelancers are not the most reliable option as they usually don’t sign any contracts with the customer and can leave the project on any development stage. They often have more than one project at once, so you shouldn’t expect them to be dedicated and highly engaged. They are a good option for companies that have a small budget or if you need to hire a developer for a short-term project. Although, it may be a problem to find the developer with the best matching skills as many skilled developers already work in software development companies that can provide them with engaging projects.
• In-house GraphQL developers
  If your project is at the stage of core development, you should hire in-house engineers. They are more dedicated to the project and can provide great ideas on how to improve and develop the product. Although the team of in-house engineers is highly dedicated and skilled, there are some drawbacks, such as high expenses on technologies, tools, bonuses, and other extra spending.
• Outsourced GraphQL developers
  The last option that you can choose is outsourced GraphQL developers. You can hire these developers with YouTeam outstaffing model, which provides you with top-notch full-time engineers. Outsourced developers are a good option if you need to find specialists to help your in-house development team or get an independent engineering team (you can hire not only the team but also a product manager who will help the development team to easily integrate into your company).

You should point out the next things to write a GraphQL job post that will attract the best candidates:

• Point out the job title and write the list of tech and soft skills that you want your candidate to have.
• Write your expectations about the project.
• Describe shortly your company and the field you work in (it will help developers who have expertise in your industry to find the best solutions).
• Point out the development stage (it may be the development from scratch or maintenance work).
• List responsibilities the developer will have.

If you need to test the candidate’s skills during the interview, you can ask them the following questions:

• How to do Error Handling in GraphQL?
• What is GraphQL schema?
• How does GraphQL fix the issues of Over-Fetching or Under-fetching?
• How to do Server-Side Caching in GraphQL?
• List the key concepts of the GraphQL query language.
• Are there any disadvantages to GraphQL?
• How do you prevent a nested attack on the GraphQL server?