# Absinthe vs GraphQL Mesh

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** GraphQL Mesh

| Attribute | Absinthe | GraphQL Mesh |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 45.3 (41% (low)) | 58.4 (57% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 5 | 27 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1,257 | 519 |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,399 | 3,511 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 27,528 |
| content.faq | - | `[{"answer":"An open-source framework that integrates diverse data sources—REST APIs, databases, gRPC services, and other formats—into a cohesive GraphQL schema. Enables unified querying across your entire API landscape without intermediaries. It is indexed under GraphQL Tools.","source":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","question":"What is GraphQL Mesh?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GraphQL Mesh is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","question":"Is GraphQL Mesh free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GraphQL Mesh supports the web, iOS, Android and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","question":"What platforms does GraphQL Mesh support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. GraphQL Mesh can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","question":"Can GraphQL Mesh be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 12 integrations for GraphQL Mesh, including GraphQL, OpenAPI, gRPC, JSON Schema, SOAP, OData, Thrift and SQLite, plus 4 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","question":"What does GraphQL Mesh integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. GraphQL Mesh is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh","question":"Is GraphQL Mesh open source?","confidence":0.99}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A GraphQL implementation toolkit for Elixir that emphasizes developer ergonomics, compile-time schema verification, and production performance. Designed with idiomatic Elixir patterns and supports common web frameworks. | An open-source framework that integrates diverse data sources—REST APIs, databases, gRPC services, and other formats—into a cohesive GraphQL schema. Enables unified querying across your entire API landscape without intermediaries. |
| features.capabilities | `{"role":"server","language":"Elixir","managed_cloud":false,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"schema_approach":"introspection"}` | `{"role":"gateway","caching":true,"language":"TypeScript/JavaScript","federation":true,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"auth_directives":true,"schema_approach":"introspection","type_generation":true,"db_introspection":true}` |
| integrations.count | 3 | 13 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Phoenix","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Plug","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Apollo Client","native":false,"direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"GraphQL"},{"name":"OpenAPI"},{"name":"gRPC"},{"name":"JSON Schema"},{"name":"SOAP"},{"name":"OData"},{"name":"Thrift"},{"name":"SQLite"},{"name":"MySQL"},{"name":"Neo4j"},{"name":"PostgreSQL"},{"name":"MongoDB"},{"name":"Hive","native":true},{"name":"Apollo GraphOS","native":true},{"name":"CloudFlare Workers","native":true}]` |
| language.primary | Elixir | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://absinthe-graphql.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-11T19:18:15.098Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://www.graphql-mesh.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T21:32:50.033Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 56 | 4 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.12.0","date":"2026-09-02T19:38:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.11.0","date":"2026-06-04T19:07:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.10.0","date":"2026-04-03T16:08:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.9.0","date":"2025-11-21T15:08:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.8.0","date":"2025-11-06T13:26:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.11","date":"2025-10-30T13:52:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.10","date":"2025-06-09T16:38:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.9","date":"2025-03-14T12:16:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.8","date":"2025-03-14T12:09:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.7.7","date":"2024-07-11T20:29:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.7.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.6","date":"2021-09-28T21:41:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.5","date":"2021-08-03T16:35:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.4","date":"2021-04-16T21:34:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.3","date":"2021-04-16T21:34:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.2","date":"2021-02-05T07:13:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.1","date":"2021-02-01T19:20:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0","date":"2021-01-15T23:24:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0-rc.1","date":"2021-01-14T22:25:31Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.6.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.6.0-rc.0","date":"2021-01-02T21:49:41Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.6.0-rc.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/absinthe-graphql/absinthe/releases/tag/v1.5.5","date":"2020-12-08T22:55:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.5.5"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1791815218678","date":"2026-10-12T14:26:59Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1791815218678"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1791812507972","date":"2026-10-12T13:41:48Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1791812507972"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1788526304945","date":"2026-09-04T12:51:45Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1788526304945"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1787592564418","date":"2026-08-24T17:29:25Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1787592564418"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1787237191899","date":"2026-08-20T14:46:32Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1787237191899"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1786983719923","date":"2026-08-17T16:22:00Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1786983719923"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1786744190314","date":"2026-08-14T21:49:50Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1786744190314"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1786718829013","date":"2026-08-14T14:47:09Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1786718829013"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1786094925629","date":"2026-08-07T09:28:46Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1786094925629"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1785696133272","date":"2026-08-02T18:42:13Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1785696133272"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1785502342058","date":"2026-07-31T12:52:22Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1785502342058"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1781190542732","date":"2026-06-11T15:09:04Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1781190542732"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1777567793194","date":"2026-04-30T16:49:53Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1777567793194"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1776962898651","date":"2026-04-23T16:48:19Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1776962898651"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1776251230412","date":"2026-04-15T11:07:10Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1776251230412"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1776170598394","date":"2026-04-14T12:43:18Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1776170598394"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1775745444059","date":"2026-04-09T14:37:24Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775745444059"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1775735183163","date":"2026-04-09T11:46:23Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775735183163"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1775246671340","date":"2026-04-03T20:04:31Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775246671340"},{"url":"https://github.com/ardatan/graphql-mesh/releases/tag/release-1775240479993","date":"2026-04-03T18:21:20Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775240479993"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 4.2 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":4,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=hex&package_name=absinthe&per_page=100","last_12m":4,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40graphql-mesh%2Fcli&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"MODERATE"}` |

## Capabilities (GraphQL Tools)

| Capability | Absinthe | GraphQL Mesh |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Role | Server | Gateway / federation |
| Primary language | Elixir | TypeScript/JavaScript |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema approach | DB introspection | DB introspection |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Federation / subgraph composition | - | ✓ |
| **Realtime** |  |  |
| Real-time subscriptions | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Performance** |  |  |
| Response / edge caching | - | ✓ |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Typed code generation | - | ✓ |
| **Automation** |  |  |
| Generates API from a database | - | ✓ |
| **Security** |  |  |
| Built-in authz / permissions | - | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Official hosted offering | ✗ | - |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:50:08.572Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*