# tailcallhq/tailcall

High Performance GraphQL Runtime

Repository: https://github.com/tailcallhq/tailcall
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/tailcall
Homepage: https://tailcall.run
Language: Rust
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: backend-for-frontend, graphql, microservices, performance, api-gateway, proxy, battle-tested, cloud-native, extendable, open-source, orchestration, protocol-agnostic, resiliency, security, io-efficiency, runtime-tuning, seamless-devx, graphql-api, graphql-server
Last push: 2026-08-26T17:11:12+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 83/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 55, longevity 95
- inputs: {"age_days": 1335, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 223, "gap_med": 0, "n_releases_24m": 186}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1443, forks 256 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:44.692315+00:00)

## What it is
Tailcall is a high-performance GraphQL runtime written in Rust that lets you build GraphQL backends declaratively by annotating a GraphQL schema with directives like @server and @http, without writing resolver code. It acts as an API orchestration layer and gateway that composes upstream REST, gRPC, and other services into a single GraphQL endpoint.

## Use cases
- expose a unified GraphQL API over existing REST microservices
- build a backend-for-frontend layer without writing resolvers
- aggregate multiple upstream APIs into one GraphQL schema
- run a high-performance GraphQL gateway in front of legacy services
- define a GraphQL server entirely from a schema file with no code
- add caching and resiliency to upstream API calls
- replace a hand-written GraphQL server with a declarative config

## When to choose
- your data lives in existing REST/gRPC/HTTP APIs you want to expose as GraphQL
- you want schema-first, configuration-driven GraphQL with minimal code
- you need a fast, Rust-based GraphQL gateway or BFF layer
- you want built-in caching, batching, and resiliency for upstream calls

## When to avoid
- you need complex custom business logic inside resolvers
- your data sources are databases rather than HTTP/gRPC services
- you already have a mature GraphQL server stack your team knows well
- you need subscriptions or GraphQL features beyond what the runtime supports

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: graphql, api-framework, http-server, api-gateway, proxy, middleware, routing, caching, web-framework
- domain: apis, backend, web-development, microservices, developer-tools, performance
- platform: rust, cli, self-hosted, cross-platform, cloud
- tags: graphql-runtime, backend-for-frontend, schema-first, declarative-configuration, api-orchestration, rest-to-graphql, grpc, no-code-resolvers, tailcall, docker, web-server

## Member repositories
- tailcallhq/tailcall (main) score 83

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:44.692315+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:36:22.315925+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/tailcallhq/tailcall (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:44.692315+00:00, sha e3b9ed231b9f)
  - homepage: https://tailcall.run (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.970190+00:00, sha bb88b68e274c)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.979824+00:00, sha b906d5c4af47)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/docs/zsh-support (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.982167+00:00, sha a1fae48eb2a4)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/docs/forge-services (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.984135+00:00, sha 21910701fae3)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/docs/model-selection-guide (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.986441+00:00, sha 8d1497e1d5b8)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/docs/operating-agents (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.988129+00:00, sha 7916af6e4457)
  - site_page: https://forgecode.dev/releases (fetched 2026-08-29T11:46:33.989771+00:00, sha 83c629c0e8f1)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.