# A Deep Dive on Apollo Data Sources

DevFeed: [A Deep Dive on Apollo Data Sources](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-deep-dive-on-apollo-data-sources-23118.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.apollographql.com/blog/a-deep-dive-on-apollo-data-sources>)

Author: Loren Sands-Ramshaw

Published: 2020-05-07T08:39:32Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Apollo Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/apollo-blog.md>)

Topics: [apollo-server](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/apollo-server.md>), [GraphQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/graphql.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [Database](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/database.md>), [Caching](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/caching.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [Library](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/library.md>)

Tags: [apis](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apis.md>), [apollo](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apollo.md>), [backend](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/backend.md>), [caching](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/caching.md>), [databases](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/databases.md>), [graphql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/graphql.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [libraries](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/libraries.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains how GraphQL servers source data from back-end services, databases, and external APIs. It focuses on Apollo Server data sources, which encapsulate service-specific data-fetching logic and can provide caching, batching, and access to GraphQL context.

## Source excerpt

GraphQL makes it easy for clients to fetch data from the server. But where does a GraphQL server source that data from in the first place? Thanks to the flexibility of GraphQL, we have many options (back-end services, databases, external APIs, and so on). Certain cloud platforms provide automatically generated GraphQL access to a particular set of data sources, and if you create your own GraphQL server, you can combine any set of data sources you like.