🔌tRPC vs GraphQL🔺
tRPC gives end-to-end TypeScript types with zero schema, while GraphQL exposes a language-agnostic typed schema. The split is TypeScript-only versus universal.
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🔌tRPC
- ✓End-to-end type safety with no code generation
- ✓Minimal setup inside a TypeScript monorepo
- ✓No schema language to learn or maintain
- ✓Tiny runtime with great autocomplete
🔺GraphQL
- ✓Language-agnostic — any client can consume it
- ✓Self-documenting schema with introspection
- ✓Mature tooling, caching and ecosystem
- ✓Ideal for public APIs and many client types
Verdict
Pick tRPC for a TypeScript-only full-stack app where you control both ends. Pick GraphQL for public APIs or polyglot clients needing a shared schema.
Frequently asked
Is tRPC a GraphQL alternative?+
For TypeScript monorepos, yes — but GraphQL still wins for cross-language APIs.
Does tRPC need a schema?+
No — tRPC infers types directly from your TypeScript router code.
Which scales to public APIs?+
GraphQL, thanks to its language-agnostic schema and broad tooling.
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