--- schema_version: "1" id: 630e289669be325fabd484004394696c4fcc345ac0c0a40ab00b808e665f2917 title: Connect Altair GraphQL Client to Salesforce collection: developer version: current locale: en-us portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/graphql-api/graphql/guides/get-started-graphql.md canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/graphql/guide/get-started-graphql.html source_site: developer.salesforce.com content_type: documentation content_hash: 5d94cfd8a60a3a805431792a32a121e57ab8609722c6e3e2453922d8a0d0de5a products: - GraphQL API --- # Connect Altair GraphQL Client to Salesforce [Altair GraphQL Client](https://altairgraphql.dev) is an open-source tool that helps you debug GraphQL queries and implementations. The client provides schema documentation via introspection through a rich interface. To query the API, you need the base URL and an API access token. **note:** Alternatives to Altair GraphQL Client include [GraphiQL](https://github.com/graphql/graphiql) and [Postman](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/graphql/guide/get-started-postman.md). Use Postman if you want to explore and test GraphQL API without access to schema documentation. ## Prerequisites - [Salesforce Developer Edition](https://developer.salesforce.com/signup) - Install [Altair GraphQL Client](https://altairgraphql.dev/#download) based on your operating system. **tip:** Turn off warning alerts in Altair GraphQL Client. Warnings don’t affect the functionality of GraphQL and can be ignored. Click the Settings icon and select **Settings**. Turn on **Disable warning alerts** and click **Save**. Next, get an API access token so you can send a request to your Salesforce org. ## Step 1: Get an API Access Token GraphQL API uses OAuth 2.0, similar to other Salesforce REST APIs. To get the API access token, follow [the Connect REST API Quick Start](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.chatterapi.meta/chatterapi/quickstart.htm). **note:** To successfully send requests, GraphQL API requires an access token obtained by authentication. This Quick Start authenticates via Salesforce CLI. For production apps, we recommend that you use your own [external client app](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.external_client_apps.htm) and an OAuth authorization flow that fits your specific use case. After you create an external client app and set up your [OAuth authorization](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.remoteaccess_oauth_client_credentials_flow.htm), you can use Salesforce CLI or run this `curl` command to get an access token. ```bash curl https://MyDomainName.my.salesforce.com/services/oauth2/token -d 'grant_type=client_credentials' -d 'client_id=consumer-key' -d 'client_secret=consumer-secret' ``` Replace this value: - `MyDomainName`: A custom subdomain specific to a Salesforce org. For example, `companyname` creates the URL `https://companyname.my.salesforce.com`. **note:** The `MyDomainName.lightning.force.com` URL format isn’t supported for OAuth authorization. Use `MyDomainName.my.salesforce.com` instead. The `curl` command returns your API access token in the `access_token` property. You need this access token to send a request via the GraphQL client. ## Step 2: Send a Request from Altair GraphQL Client Now that you have your access token, you’re ready to send a GraphQL API request to Salesforce. **note:** The instructions assume you’re using Altair GraphQL Client on MacOS; steps can vary slightly if you’re using the client on another operating system. To send a request: 1. Open the GraphQL client you installed. 2. Next to the POST option, enter your endpoint using the format `https://{MyDomainName}.my.salesforce.com/services/data/v{version}/graphql`, for example `https://myorg-dev-ed.my.salesforce.com/services/data/v57.0/graphql`. 3. Edit the HTTP headers. 1. Click the Set Headers icon (![Set header icon](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/altair-headers-icon.png)) on the sidebar. The **Headers** prompt appears. 2. For the **Header key** field, enter `Authorization`. 3. For the **Header value** field, enter the access token you generated in [step 1](#step-1-get-an-api-access-token). The format is `Bearer access_token`. For example, `Bearer 00DRM000000LnTv!AREAQN.therestofyourtokenhere`. 4. To ensure proper encoding, click **Add header**. 5. For the **Header key** field, enter `X-Chatter-Entity-Encoding`. 6. For the **Header value** field, enter `false`. 7. Click **Done**. 4. Back in the main client window, enter your query. You can use your own query or this example query. ``` query accounts { uiapi { query { Account { edges { node { Id Name { value } } } } } } } ``` 5. Click **Send Request** or the ▶️ icon to run the GraphQL query. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl + Enter (Windows) or Cmd + Enter (Mac). Altair GraphQL Client includes an editor for your query on the left, and the result window on the right. For more information, see the [Altair GraphQL Client documentation](https://altairgraphql.dev/docs/). ![Work with Altair GraphQL Client](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/altair-graphql-client.png) ## Step 3: Explore the GraphQL API Schema To explore the GraphQL API schema documentation: **note:** The instructions assume you’re using Altair GraphQL Client on MacOS; steps can vary slightly if you’re using the client on another operating system. 1. Click **Docs**. A panel opens to reveal the documentation explorer. 2. If the explorer doesn’t display the types, click the Reload Docs icon (![Reload docs icon](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/altair-reload-docs-icon.png)). When you load the schema, the panel displays the types and queries available in the Salesforce GraphQL API. ![Review the types and queries in the Salesforce GraphQL schema](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/media/altair-docs-explorer.png) If you receive an error about invalid schema, verify that you set the correct encoding HTML header as described in sub-steps 4–6 in [Step 2: Send a Request from Altair GraphQL Client](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/platform/graphql/guide/get-started-graphql.md#step-2-send-a-request-from-altair-graphql-client).