---
title: graphql/utilities
---

{/* title can be removed in Nextra 4, since sidebar title will take from first h1 */}

# `graphql/utilities`

The `graphql/utilities` module contains common useful computations to use with
the GraphQL language and type objects. You can import either from the `graphql/utilities` module, or from the root `graphql` module. For example:

```js
import { introspectionQuery } from "graphql" // ES6
var { introspectionQuery } = require("graphql") // CommonJS
```

## Overview

### Introspection

<ul className="apiIndex">
  <li>
    <a href="#introspectionquery">
      `var introspectionQuery` A GraphQL introspection query containing enough information to reproduce a type system.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#buildclientschema">
      `function buildClientSchema` Produces a client schema given the result of querying a schema with `introspectionQuery`.
    </a>
  </li>
</ul>

### Schema Language

<ul className="apiIndex">
  <li>
    <a href="#buildschema">
      `function buildSchema` Builds a Schema object from GraphQL schema language.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#printschema">
      `function printSchema` Prints the schema in a standard format.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#printintrospectionschema">
      `function printIntrospectionSchema` Prints the introspection features of the schema in a standard format.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#buildastschema">
      `function buildASTSchema`Builds a schema from a parsed AST Schema.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#typefromast">
      `function typeFromAST` Looks up a type referenced in an AST in the GraphQLSchema.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#astfromvalue">
      `function astFromValue` Produces a GraphQL Input Value AST given a JavaScript value.
    </a>
  </li>
</ul>

### Visitors

<ul className="apiIndex">
  <li>
    <a href="#typeinfo">
      `class TypeInfo` Tracks type and field definitions during a visitor AST traversal..
    </a>
  </li>
</ul>

### Value Validation

<ul className="apiIndex">
  <li>
    <a href="#isvalidjsvalue">
      `function isValidJSValue` Determines if a JavaScript value is valid for a GraphQL type.
    </a>
  </li>
  <li>
    <a href="#isvalidliteralvalue">
      `function isValidLiteralValue` Determines if a literal value from an AST is valid for a GraphQL type.
    </a>
  </li>
</ul>

## Introspection

### introspectionQuery

```js
const introspectionQuery = `...`; // a GraphQL introspection query string
```

A GraphQL query that queries a server's introspection system for enough
information to reproduce that server's type system.

### `buildClientSchema`

```ts
function buildClientSchema(
  introspection: IntrospectionQuery
): GraphQLSchema
```

Build a GraphQLSchema for use by client tools.

Given the result of a client running the introspection query, creates and
returns a GraphQLSchema instance which can be then used with all GraphQL.js
tools, but cannot be used to execute a query, as introspection does not
represent the "resolver", "parse" or "serialize" functions or any other
server-internal mechanisms.

## Schema Representation

### `buildSchema`

```ts
function buildSchema(source: string | Source): GraphQLSchema
```

Creates a GraphQLSchema object from GraphQL schema language. The schema will use default resolvers. For more detail on the GraphQL schema language, see the [schema language docs](/learn/schema/) or this [schema language cheat sheet](https://wehavefaces.net/graphql-shorthand-notation-cheatsheet-17cd715861b6#.9oztv0a7n).

### `printSchema`

```ts
function printSchema(schema: GraphQLSchema): string
```

Prints the provided schema in the Schema Language format.

### `printIntrospectionSchema`

```ts
function printIntrospectionSchema(schema: GraphQLSchema): string
```

Prints the built-in introspection schema in the Schema Language format.

### `buildASTSchema`

```ts
function buildASTSchema(
  ast: SchemaDocument,
  queryTypeName: string,
  mutationTypeName: string
): GraphQLSchema
```

This takes the ast of a schema document produced by `parseSchemaIntoAST` in
`graphql/language/schema` and constructs a GraphQLSchema instance which can be
then used with all GraphQL.js tools, but cannot be used to execute a query, as
introspection does not represent the "resolver", "parse" or "serialize"
functions or any other server-internal mechanisms.

### `typeFromAST`

```ts
function typeFromAST(
  schema: GraphQLSchema,
  inputTypeAST: Type
): GraphQLType
```

Given the name of a Type as it appears in a GraphQL AST and a Schema, return the
corresponding GraphQLType from that schema.

### `astFromValue`

```ts
function astFromValue(
  value: any,
  type: GraphQLInputType
): Value
```

Produces a GraphQL Input Value AST given a JavaScript value.

Optionally, a GraphQL type may be provided, which will be used to
disambiguate between value primitives.

## Visitors

### `TypeInfo`

```ts
class TypeInfo {
  constructor(schema: GraphQLSchema)
  getType(): GraphQLOutputType
  getParentType(): GraphQLCompositeType
  getInputType(): GraphQLInputType
  getFieldDef(): GraphQLFieldDefinition
  getDirective(): GraphQLDirective
  getArgument(): GraphQLArgument
}
```

TypeInfo is a utility class which, given a GraphQL schema, can keep track
of the current field and type definitions at any point in a GraphQL document
AST during a recursive descent by calling `enter(node)` and `leave(node)`.

## Value Validation

### `isValidJSValue`

```ts
function isValidJSValue(value: any, type: GraphQLInputType): string[]
```

Given a JavaScript value and a GraphQL type, determine if the value will be
accepted for that type. This is primarily useful for validating the
runtime values of query variables.

### `isValidLiteralValue`

```ts
function isValidLiteralValue(
  type: GraphQLInputType,
  valueAST: Value
): string[]
```

Utility for validators which determines if a value literal AST is valid given
an input type.

Note that this only validates literal values, variables are assumed to
provide values of the correct type.