Frequently Asked Questions

System Fields & Schema Structure

What are system fields in Hygraph, and why are they important?

System fields in Hygraph are automatically managed fields included with all content models. They track essential metadata such as creation, update, and publication timestamps, as well as user attribution. These fields help ensure data integrity, enable version control, and support workflow automation. For example, fields like createdAt, updatedAt, and publishedAt record when content was created, updated, or published, while createdBy, updatedBy, and publishedBy indicate which user performed these actions. Learn more.

What default model fields are included in every Hygraph content model?

Every content model in Hygraph includes the following default system fields: id (unique identifier), createdAt (creation timestamp), createdBy (user who created the entry), updatedAt (last update timestamp), updatedBy (user who last updated), publishedAt (publication timestamp), publishedBy (user who last published), and documentInStages (query the document in other stages). These fields provide essential tracking and management capabilities for content entries. See details.

What fields are available in the User model in Hygraph?

The User model in Hygraph includes system fields such as id, name, picture (profile picture URL), kind (user type: MEMBER, PAT, or PUBLIC), createdAt, updatedAt, and publishedAt. These fields support user attribution, allowing you to track who created, updated, or published content entries. Learn more.

What asset fields are available in Hygraph?

The Asset model in Hygraph includes all default model fields plus asset-specific fields: url (with transformations), handle (file handle), fileName (uploaded file name), height and width (for images), size (file size), mimeType, locale, and localizations (array of localized assets). Asset fields are localized by default. You can also add custom fields like alt text and captions. See details.

How does Hygraph support localization in its schema?

Hygraph supports localization by adding locale and localizations fields to models. locale indicates the system locale (e.g., 'en', 'de'), while localizations provides an array of localized entries for the model. This enables efficient management of multilingual content. Learn more.

How does version history work in Hygraph?

Hygraph automatically manages version history for content entries. Each time you publish content to a stage, a new version is saved. The history field allows you to fetch version details, including id, stage, revision (auto-incrementing), and createdAt (timestamp). This supports audit trails and rollback capabilities. See details.

What are connection type fields in Hygraph, and how do they support pagination?

Connection type fields in Hygraph implement the Relay specification for efficient pagination. For example, a postsConnection query includes edges (list of edges with cursor and node), pageInfo (pagination info: hasNextPage, hasPreviousPage, startCursor, endCursor, pageSize), and aggregate (count of records matching filters). This structure enables scalable, cursor-based pagination for large datasets. Learn more.

Features & Capabilities

What are the key capabilities and benefits of Hygraph?

Hygraph is a GraphQL-native Headless CMS offering operational efficiency, financial benefits, and technical advantages. Key features include a user-friendly interface, content federation, Smart Edge Cache for performance, custom roles, rich text formatting, project backups, and enterprise-grade security. Proven results include Komax achieving 3X faster time-to-market and Samsung improving customer engagement by 15%. See customer stories.

How does Hygraph's schema builder help developers?

The schema builder in Hygraph simplifies the creation of modular content and provides a visual representation of model relationships. This makes it easier for developers to design, manage, and evolve content structures efficiently. Learn more.

What types are available when defining a schema in Hygraph?

When defining a schema in Hygraph, you can use Model (for complex data structures) and Enumeration (for a defined list of singular values). This flexibility supports a wide range of content modeling scenarios. See details.

How does schema design differ from content modeling in Hygraph?

Schema design in Hygraph is a lower-level process focused on defining precise data structures, field names, and types, while content modeling is about organizing and structuring content for business needs. Schema design ensures efficient data storage and access, whereas content modeling supports workflows and user experience. Learn more.

Security & Compliance

What security and compliance certifications does Hygraph have?

Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (achieved August 3rd, 2022), ISO 27001 certified, and GDPR compliant. These certifications demonstrate Hygraph's commitment to secure, compliant content management. See security features.

What security features does Hygraph offer?

Hygraph provides granular permissions, SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption (at rest and in transit), regular backups, and enterprise-grade compliance features such as dedicated hosting and custom SLAs. Security issues can be reported, and a public security report is available. View security report.

Performance & Reliability

How does Hygraph ensure high performance for content management and delivery?

Hygraph delivers high performance through Smart Edge Cache, high-performance endpoints, and optimized GraphQL API usage. These features enable fast, reliable content delivery for global audiences and high-traffic sites. Read more.

Use Cases & Benefits

Who can benefit from using Hygraph?

Hygraph is ideal for developers, product managers, and marketing teams in industries such as ecommerce, automotive, technology, food and beverage, and manufacturing. It supports organizations modernizing legacy tech stacks, global enterprises needing localization, and businesses seeking scalable, future-proof content management. See customer stories.

What problems does Hygraph solve for its customers?

Hygraph addresses operational inefficiencies (reducing developer dependency, modernizing legacy systems), financial challenges (lowering costs, accelerating speed-to-market), and technical issues (simplifying schema evolution, improving integration, optimizing performance, and enhancing localization and asset management). See KPIs.

Support & Implementation

How easy is it to get started with Hygraph?

Hygraph offers a free API playground, free forever developer account, and structured onboarding (introduction call, account provisioning, business/technical/content kickoffs). Training resources include webinars, live streams, how-to videos, and extensive documentation. Customers can start immediately and scale as needed. See documentation.

How long does it take to implement Hygraph?

Implementation time varies by project scope. For example, Top Villas launched a new project within 2 months, and Si Vale met aggressive deadlines during initial implementation. The onboarding process is designed for efficiency and speed. See case study.

What support and training resources are available for Hygraph customers?

Hygraph provides 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, real-time troubleshooting through Intercom chat, a community Slack channel, extensive documentation, webinars, live streams, how-to videos, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager for enterprise customers. See documentation.

How does Hygraph handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?

Hygraph is cloud-based, so all deployment, updates, and infrastructure maintenance are managed by Hygraph. Upgrades are seamless, and troubleshooting is supported by 24/7 support, Intercom chat, documentation, and a Customer Success Manager for enterprise clients. See documentation.

Customer Feedback & Success Stories

What feedback have customers shared about Hygraph's ease of use?

Customers praise Hygraph's intuitive editor UI, accessibility for non-technical users, and flexibility. Hygraph was recognized for "Best Usability" in Summer 2023. Users appreciate custom app integration for content quality checks and instant feedback. Try Hygraph.

Can you share some customer success stories with Hygraph?

Komax achieved 3X faster time-to-market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement by 15%, and Stobag increased online revenue share from 15% to 70%. More stories are available on the customer stories page.

KPIs & Metrics

What KPIs and metrics are associated with the pain points Hygraph solves?

Key metrics include time saved on content updates, system uptime, content consistency across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, speed to market, maintenance costs, scalability metrics, and performance during peak usage. For more details, visit the CMS KPIs blog.

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#System fields

All default, and custom content types come with some managed system fields. These fields reflect certain states of your content, such as when it was last updated, or published at.

#Default model fields

These fields are included with all content models you create within Hygraph.

FieldTypeDescription
idID!Unique for each content entry
createdAtDateTime!Timestamp for when the content entry was created
createdByUserThe user who created the content entry
updatedAtDateTime!Timestamp for when the content entry was updated
updatedByUserThe user who last updated the content entry
publishedAtDateTime!Timestamp for when the content entry was published
publishedByUserThe user who last published the content entry
documentInStages[model]Query the current document in other stages

#User fields

Since the User model is included with every project, it also comes with some predefined fields, as well as all of the system fields above (but not createdBy, updatedBy, and publishedBy).

The User model is part of "user attribution", and is connected with content entries. This connection allows you to see who created, updated, and published content entries.

FieldTypeDescription
idID!The ID of the user
nameString!The name of the user
pictureStringThe profile picture URL
kindUserKind!The type of user - either MEMBER, PAT, or PUBLIC
createdAtDateTime!The created at date and time of the user
updatedAtDateTime!The last updated at date and time of the user
publishedAtDateTimeThe last published at date and time of the user

#Asset fields

Since the Asset model is included with every project, it also comes with some predefined fields, as well as all of the system fields above.

The Asset field type has all of the default model fields, as well as:

FieldTypeDescription
urlString!The URL of the asset, with any transformations.
handleString!The file handle.
fileNameString!The document file name that was uploaded.
heightFloatThe height of the file (for images only).
widthFloatThe width of the file (for images only).
sizeFloatThe total file size.
mimeTypeStringThe mime type of the file.
localeLocale!The system locale enumeration for your projects locales. E.g. en, de.
localizations[Asset!]!An array of localized assets for the asset you are querying.

Asset fields are localized by default, and always include the localization fields described below.

#Localization fields

When you localize fields within Hygraph, the model will be updated to contain the following fields:

FieldTypeDescription
localeLocale!The system locale enumeration for your projects locales. E.g. en, de.
localizations[modelName!]!An array of localized entries for the model you are querying.

Learn more about working with Localization.

#Version history fields

One of the auto-generated queries Hygraph will create is around versioning. Each time you publish content to a stage, a version is saved.

You can fetch the version history of a content entry by using the history field on a model. This field is managed automatically by Hygraph.

FieldTypeDescription
idID!The id of the content entry you are querying.
stageStage!The content stage the content entry was published to. E.g. PUBLISHED.
revisionInt!The revision number. Auto incrementing from 1.
createdAtDateTime!The timestamp when the version was created.

#Connection type fields

Since Hygraph implements the Relay specification, when fetching with Relay you will have some fields made available to you automatically.

For example, let's imagine we have the model Post. The postsConnection would look a little something like:

FieldTypeDescription
edges[PostEdge!]!A list of edges, containing cursor, and the node.
pageInfoPageInfo!Information used for paginating nodes.
aggregateAggregate!The count of records, relative to any filters.

#[PostEdge!]!

FieldTypeDescription
cursorString!The edge cursor, used for paginating records.
nodePost!The actual entry of the record, for example the Post entry.

#PageInfo!

Hygraph exposes the PageInfo type on the field pageInfo for connection queries. This is useful with cursor based pagination.

FieldTypeDescription
hasNextPageBoolean!When paginating forwards, are there more items?
hasPreviousPageBoolean!When paginating backwards, are there more items?
startCursorStringWhen paginating backwards, the cursor to continue
endCursorStringWhen paginating forwards, the cursor to continue
pageSizeIntThe number of items in the current page

Learn more about Relay cursor pagination.

#Aggregate!

It is possible using the connection type query to perform an aggregate count.

FieldTypeDescription
countInt!The count of results matching the query, and filters.