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WPGraphQL v2.0 Technical Update & Breaking Changes

WordPress
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Jason Bahl
Jason Bahl

WPGraphQL v2.0 is coming soon, featuring an upgrade to its underlying GraphQL engine, graphql-php, from v14.11.10 to v15.8.1.

This upgrade brings better performance, stricter validation, and enhanced extensibility. However, it also introduces breaking changes that may impact developers extending WPGraphQL or maintaining custom plugins.

This guide highlights technical changes, developer recommendations, and actions needed to prepare your projects.

PHP Version Requirement:

WPGraphQL v2.0 will require PHP 7.4 or newer, raising the minimum requirement from PHP 7.1.
This change follows the adoption of graphql-php v15+, which also requires PHP 7.4+. Ensure your hosting environment is updated before testing the beta or upgrading to v2.0.

By adopting the latest graphql-php, WPGraphQL inherits several breaking changes that may impact developers extending WPGraphQL. Below, we’ve highlighted the most important changes, though we also recommend reviewing the graphql-php release notes for more detail.

Key Breaking Changes:

Error Response Changes:

  • “category” field removal on errors: The “category” field has been removed from GraphQL error responses. If your application depends on this field, adjust your error-handling logic accordingly.
  • debug entries moved: graphql-php now places debug information under the extensions key of the error response. Ensure your application properly handles this structure.
  • serialization errors: Errors during leaf value serialization will now throw SerializationError, replacing previously thrown generic errors.

Schema and Type Management Updates:

  • Topological Schema Ordering: graphql-php now orders schema definitions based on type dependencies and user-defined types. Be aware that this could change the output of introspection queries, especially when dynamically generating types.
  • Standard Type Enforcement: Overriding built-in GraphQL Types in the schema is no longer supported. Consider using custom types instead of overriding built-in types directly.

Input and Enum Parsing Enhancements:

  • Lazy Loading for Input Objects and Enums: graphql-php now supports lazy-loading for input objects and enums. This can improve performance for schemas with complex, deeply nested types. Developers defining custom types should adjust type definitions if needed.

Server and HTTP Behavior Adjustments:

  • Request Validation: Requests with invalid JSON will now trigger a RequestError instead of a generic error. This makes debugging request payload issues easier by returning clear error messages early in the request lifecycle.

Recommended Actions:

  • Upgrade PHP: Ensure your environment runs PHP 7.4+ before updating WPGraphQL.
  • Review Error Handling: Update how your application handles GraphQL errors, including changes to the category field and the new location of debug entries.
  • Test Plugin Compatibility: Test any custom plugins, WPGraphQL extensions, and GraphQL queries in a staging environment. Ensure compatibility before deploying to production.

Resources and Links: