Query Complexity Analysis
Implement mechanisms to analyze and limit the complexity of incoming GraphQL queries to prevent denial-of-service attacks.
What is Query Complexity?
When building GraphQL APIs, clients can request a lot of data in a single query. This flexibility is powerful, but it also carries a risk.
Query complexity refers to how much "work" your server needs to do to fulfill a particular GraphQL query. It's not just about the data size, but also the resources required.
Preventing Overload & DoS
Without limits, a malicious or poorly written query could ask for an excessive amount of deeply nested data or very large lists.
- This can exhaust server resources (CPU, memory, database connections).
- It can lead to slow response times for all users.
- In extreme cases, it can cause a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack, making your API unavailable.
Analyzing query complexity helps prevent these issues.