GraphQLConf 2026

GraphQL is often framed around multiple clients, external consumers, and solving over/under-fetching. But what if you have one client, fragmented internal APIs, and colleagues as your consumers? This talk explores that different axis—and why GraphQL still matters.

At trivago, we built a second GraphQL Gateway to unify internal services. What started as admin tooling became something more: a lens that surfaced hidden system relationships, a catalyst for cross-team collaboration, and now a foundation for AI-assisted tooling enriched with human-written business context.

This session shares honest lessons from six years of running an internal-facing gateway. You'll hear how we unified services without imposing upstream requirements, fostered collaboration across previously siloed teams, and designed audit logging around user intent—not just technical calls. Whether or not this specific approach fits your context, you'll leave with a broader perspective: there's more to GraphQL than its typical framing suggests.