# What is a GraphQL query? GraphQL query examples using Apollo Explorer

DevFeed: [What is a GraphQL query? GraphQL query examples using Apollo Explorer](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/what-is-a-graphql-query-graphql-query-examples-using-apollo-explorer-23575.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.apollographql.com/blog/what-is-a-graphql-query-graphql-query-using-apollo-explorer>)

Author: Khalil Stemmler

Published: 2021-02-19T11:06:32Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

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

Topics: [GraphQL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/graphql.md>), [Query (disambiguation)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/query.md>), [ide](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ide.md>)

Tags: [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [curl](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/curl.md>), [fetch](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/fetch.md>), [graphql](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/graphql.md>), [how-to](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/how-to.md>), [json](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/json.md>)

## AI overview

This tutorial explains what GraphQL queries are, how queries differ from mutations, how nested fields shape requested data, and how results are returned in JSON. It also demonstrates writing and executing queries with Apollo Explorer and mentions curl, fetch, and GraphQL client libraries as alternative approaches.

## Source excerpt

Queries are the one of the first things we learn about in GraphQL. Combined with great tooling, GraphQL's declarative approach to asking for the data you want makes the query-writing experience quite enjoyable. In this post, we'll cover what GraphQL queries are and how they work. We'll also learn how to write and execute GraphQL queries using Apollo Explorer: a powerful GraphQL IDE. Understanding GraphQL queries What is a GraphQL query?