grafbase
Grafbase is a Rust-based GraphQL Federation Gateway that was acquired by The Guild in 2025. The platform and dashboard have been sunset; the gateway itself is in maintenance mode with only critical security fixes planned through end of May 2026, when the repository will be archived.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | grafbase/grafbase |
| Owner | grafbase |
| Primary language | Rust |
| License | MPL-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 1.2k |
| Forks | 72 |
| Open issues | 12 |
| Latest release | gateway-0.53.5 (2026-05-11) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-01 |
| Source | https://github.com/grafbase/grafbase |
What grafbase is
A high-performance GraphQL federation router written in Rust, supporting federation-compatible schema composition and API gateway patterns. Development has transitioned to maintenance mode; The Guild recommends migrating to Hive Router or Hive Gateway for continued feature development.
Get the grafbase source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/grafbase/grafbase.gitcd grafbase# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Repository will be archived by end of May 2026; plan migration timeline now if currently deployed.
- Maintenance mode limits response to non-critical bugs; internal testing burden will increase over time.
- MPL-2.0 licensing allows internal modification, but community contributions are not solicited.
- Rust codebase requires familiarity with systems-level language if internal extensions or debugging are needed.
- No new feature development or API stability guarantees beyond the archival date.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- New Production Deployments — Do not adopt Grafbase Gateway for new projects. The Guild explicitly recommends Hive Router or Hive Gateway as the successor with active development.
- Long-Term Vendor Lock-in Risk — The repository will be archived by end of May 2026. Organizations requiring multi-year vendor support should migrate now to an actively maintained alternative.
- Managed SaaS Platform Requirements — The Grafbase platform dashboard and hosted services have been sunset. Teams relying on managed schema registry or cloud hosting should migrate to Hive or equivalent.
- Security Patches Beyond Critical Issues — Only high-severity security fixes will be released during maintenance. General bug fixes and performance improvements are not planned.
License & commercial use
MPL-2.0 (Mozilla Public License 2.0) is a copyleft OSI-approved license. It allows commercial use, modification, and distribution, with the requirement that modifications to covered files be made available under MPL-2.0. Derivative works in other modules may use different licenses.
Commercial use is permitted under MPL-2.0, but given the maintenance-mode status and planned archival, organizations should evaluate whether relying on an unsupported codebase poses unacceptable risk. No vendor support, SLAs, or indemnification are provided.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Moderate |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Possible |
| Assessment confidence | High |
As a gateway handling API traffic, security posture depends on correct configuration and timely patching. During maintenance mode, only critical security issues will be addressed; non-critical vulnerabilities may remain. Organizations should conduct their own security review and plan for migration before the May 2026 archival date.
Alternatives to consider
Hive Router / Hive Gateway
Direct successor recommended by The Guild; actively maintained, supports federation, and includes managed schema registry and observability.
Apollo Router
Industry-standard GraphQL federation router with active development, broad ecosystem support, and commercial backing.
Directus / Hasura Gateway
Alternative federation and API gateway solutions with active maintenance and different architectural approaches to schema composition.
Build on grafbase with DEV.co software developers
Grafbase Gateway is no longer in active development. Review the successor projects (Hive Router, Apollo Router) and plan your migration strategy now to avoid the May 2026 repository archival.
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grafbase FAQ
Can we use Grafbase Gateway in production today?
What is the license, and can we modify it?
Is the Grafbase managed platform still available?
What happens after May 2026?
Software developers & web developers for hire
Need help beyond evaluating grafbase? DEV.co is a software development agency offering software development services and web development for teams of every size. Our software developers and web developers build custom software, web applications, APIs, and mcp servers integrations — and maintain them long-term.
Evaluate Your Migration Path
Grafbase Gateway is no longer in active development. Review the successor projects (Hive Router, Apollo Router) and plan your migration strategy now to avoid the May 2026 repository archival.