# GraphQL Yoga vs Pothos

| Attribute | GraphQL Yoga | Pothos |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 63.4 (67% (medium)) | 58.8 (48% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 22 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 759 | 316 |
| adoption.github_stars | 8,528 | 2,623 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 1,943,364 | 477,926 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A fully-featured, open-source GraphQL server offering extensive built-in capabilities like federation support, caching, rate limiting, and error masking. Designed to be self-hostable and extensible through plugins for production deployments. It is indexed under GraphQL Tools.","source":"https://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","question":"What is GraphQL Yoga?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"GraphQL Yoga 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://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","question":"Is GraphQL Yoga free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to GraphQL Yoga. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","question":"What platforms does GraphQL Yoga support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. GraphQL Yoga can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","question":"Can GraphQL Yoga be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 9 integrations for GraphQL Yoga, including Apollo Federation, Auth0, Sentry, StatsD, New Relic, GraphQL Modules, Hive and GraphQL Armor, plus 1 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","question":"What does GraphQL Yoga integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 for GraphQL Yoga. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as GraphQL Yoga not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://the-guild.dev/blog/tag/compliance","question":"What security certifications does GraphQL Yoga have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Yes. GraphQL Yoga 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/dotansimha/graphql-yoga","question":"Is GraphQL Yoga open source?","confidence":0.99}]` | `[{"answer":"Pothos is a GraphQL schema builder for TypeScript that emphasizes type-safety and ease of use. It features a plugin ecosystem for extending functionality while maintaining zero-overhead at runtime. It is indexed under GraphQL Tools.","source":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","question":"What is Pothos?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pothos is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the ISC licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","question":"Is Pothos free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pothos supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","question":"What platforms does Pothos support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Pothos can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","question":"Can Pothos be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 6 integrations for Pothos, including Prisma, NestJS, Next.js, Apollo, Mercurius and OpenTelemetry. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","question":"What does Pothos integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Pothos is published under the ISC 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/hayes/pothos","question":"Is Pothos open source?","confidence":0.99}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A comprehensive GraphQL server emphasizing ease of setup and developer experience, featuring built-in federation, subscriptions, response caching, and support for self-hosting across any JavaScript runtime environment. | A GraphQL schema builder that leverages TypeScript's type system to minimize manual type annotations, integrating with databases like Prisma and Drizzle through a modular plugin architecture. |
| features.capabilities | `{"role":"server","caching":true,"language":"JavaScript/TypeScript","federation":true,"managed_cloud":true,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"auth_directives":true,"schema_approach":"code_first","type_generation":true}` | `{"role":"schema_builder","language":"TypeScript","federation":true,"self_hostable":true,"subscriptions":true,"schema_approach":"code_first","type_generation":true,"db_introspection":true}` |
| integrations.count | 12 | 12 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Apollo Federation"},{"name":"Auth0"},{"name":"Sentry"},{"name":"StatsD"},{"name":"New Relic"},{"name":"GraphQL Modules"},{"name":"Hive"},{"name":"GraphQL Armor"},{"name":"GraphQL Codegen"},{"name":"Apollo Router","native":true},{"name":"Cloudflare Workers","native":true},{"name":"Stellate","native":false,"category":"security"},{"name":"Apollo Link","native":true,"category":"client","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"URQL","native":true,"category":"client","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"NestJS","native":true,"category":"framework","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Redis","native":true,"category":"cache","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Cloudflare KV","native":true,"category":"cache","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Prometheus","native":true,"category":"monitoring","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Envelop","native":true,"category":"plugin-system","direction":"bidirectional"}]` | `[{"name":"Prisma"},{"name":"NestJS"},{"name":"Next.js"},{"name":"Apollo"},{"name":"Mercurius"},{"name":"OpenTelemetry"},{"name":"Drizzle","native":true,"category":"database","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Zod","native":true,"category":"validation","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Valibot","native":true,"category":"validation","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"ArkType","native":true,"category":"validation","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"GraphQL Yoga","native":false,"category":"server","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Apollo Server","native":false,"category":"server","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Apollo Federation","native":true,"category":"federation","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"New Relic","native":true,"category":"observability","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Dataloader","native":true,"category":"data_loading","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Grafast","native":true,"category":"execution_engine","direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| language.primary | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | ISC |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://the-guild.dev/graphql/yoga-server","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:35:45.267Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://pothos-graphql.dev/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T09:17:12.302Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 6 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1791466339420","date":"2026-10-08T13:32:20Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1791466339420"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1791463399270","date":"2026-10-08T12:43:20Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1791463399270"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1791208550283","date":"2026-10-05T13:55:51Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1791208550283"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1789658159962","date":"2026-09-17T15:16:00Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1789658159962"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1789573377392","date":"2026-09-16T15:42:58Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1789573377392"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1789141599119","date":"2026-09-11T15:46:39Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1789141599119"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1787131280487","date":"2026-08-19T09:21:21Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1787131280487"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1786610592790","date":"2026-08-13T08:43:13Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1786610592790"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1782317638369","date":"2026-06-24T16:13:58Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1782317638369"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1780928162381","date":"2026-06-08T14:16:03Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1780928162381"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1780409490082","date":"2026-06-02T14:11:30Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1780409490082"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1775326067022","date":"2026-04-04T18:07:47Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775326067022"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1775240024215","date":"2026-04-03T18:13:44Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775240024215"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1775041471308","date":"2026-04-01T11:04:31Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1775041471308"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1772810117439","date":"2026-03-06T15:15:17Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1772810117439"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1766069402447","date":"2025-12-18T14:50:03Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1766069402447"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1764634391007","date":"2025-12-02T00:13:11Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1764634391007"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1764327921060","date":"2025-11-28T11:05:21Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1764327921060"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1763760785378","date":"2025-11-21T21:33:05Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1763760785378"},{"url":"https://github.com/graphql-hive/graphql-yoga/releases/tag/release-1762481391160","date":"2025-11-07T02:09:51Z","type":"stable","version":"release-1762481391160"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-drizzle%400.20.0","date":"2026-09-14T17:05:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-drizzle@0.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-zod%404.3.2","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:53Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-zod@4.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-validation%404.3.4","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:26Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-validation@4.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-validation%404.3.3","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:26Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-validation@4.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-tracing%401.1.4","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:38Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-tracing@1.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-sub-graph%404.5.3","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:23Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-sub-graph@4.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-sub-graph%404.5.2","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:17Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-sub-graph@4.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-smart-subscriptions%404.1.7","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:14Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-smart-subscriptions@4.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-smart-subscriptions%404.1.6","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:29Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-smart-subscriptions@4.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-scope-auth%404.2.1","date":"2026-09-13T22:48:59Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-scope-auth@4.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-scope-auth%404.2.0","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:35Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-scope-auth@4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-relay%404.8.1","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:08Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-relay@4.8.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-relay%404.8.0","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:14Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-relay@4.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-prisma%404.17.0","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:44Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-prisma@4.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-prisma-utils%401.3.6","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:11Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-prisma-utils@1.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-prisma-utils%401.3.5","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:59Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-prisma-utils@1.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-mocks%404.1.4","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:56Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-mocks@4.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-federation%404.5.3","date":"2026-09-13T22:48:56Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-federation@4.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-federation%404.5.2","date":"2026-09-13T21:56:50Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-federation@4.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hayes/pothos/releases/tag/%40pothos/plugin-errors%404.9.3","date":"2026-09-13T22:49:17Z","type":"stable","version":"@pothos/plugin-errors@4.9.3"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | - |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | https://the-guild.dev/blog/tag/compliance | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40graphql-yoga%2Fcommon&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40pothos%2Fcore&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (GraphQL Tools)

| Capability | GraphQL Yoga | Pothos |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Role | Server | Schema builder |
| Primary language | JavaScript/TypeScript | TypeScript |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema approach | Code-first | Code-first |
| **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 2026-10-16T20:59:16.253Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*