What is Hygraph and what is its primary purpose?

Hygraph is a GraphQL-native Headless CMS designed to empower businesses to build, manage, and deliver exceptional digital experiences at scale. It eliminates traditional content management pain points by providing flexibility, scalability, and efficiency for modern workflows. Hygraph enables operational efficiency, reduces costs, and supports technical teams with a user-friendly interface and advanced integration capabilities. Learn more in the Hygraph documentation: https://hygraph.com/docs/getting-started.

What are the basic concepts and terms I should know when using Hygraph?

Key concepts include the API Playground (for experimenting with queries and mutations), Assets (for managing files and images), Components (reusable sets of fields), Content Modeling (defining your content schema), Content Views (default and custom filtered views), Enumerations (grouping values), Models (schema definitions), Mutations (data modification operations), Preview URLs (previewing content before publishing), Relations (connecting models), Remote Sources (content federation), Schema Builder (visual schema editing), Sidebar (customizing the content editor), and System Fields (default metadata fields). For a full glossary, see the Hygraph Glossary: https://hygraph.com/docs/getting-started/fundamentals/glossary.

What are content stages in Hygraph?

Every Hygraph project has two default content stages: Draft (content that has never been published and can be edited without affecting live content) and Published (content that is live). You can also create custom content stages for your project. Learn more: https://hygraph.com/docs/developer-guides/content/publishing-content#content-stages.

What are widgets in Hygraph and how are they used?

Widgets in Hygraph are tools in the schema editor that allow you to define and manage different types of fields and content interactions. There are Field Widgets (e.g., Single line text, Rich text, Number, Asset picker, Reference, REST, GraphQL) and Sidebar Widgets (e.g., Entry information, Localizations, Stages, Versions, Schedule, Preview). These widgets help structure your content models and streamline content creation and management. See the full list: https://hygraph.com/docs/getting-started/fundamentals/glossary#widgets.

What are components in Hygraph?

Components are predefined sets of fields that can be reused across models and content entries. They allow for modular content structures, supporting both basic and modular types, and can be nested within other components. This enables flexible and scalable content modeling. Learn more: https://hygraph.com/docs/developer-guides/schema/components.

What are the key features and capabilities of Hygraph?

Hygraph offers a GraphQL-native architecture, content federation (integrating multiple data sources without duplication), Smart Edge Cache for fast content delivery, custom roles and granular permissions, rich text editing, project backups, and advanced localization and asset management. It also provides a user-friendly interface, robust integration options, and enterprise-grade security and compliance. See all features: https://hygraph.com/features/secure.

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

Hygraph delivers exceptional performance through features like Smart Edge Cache (for faster content delivery), high-performance endpoints (with ongoing improvements for reliability and speed), and optimized GraphQL API performance. Developers can access practical advice for API optimization. Read more: https://hygraph.com/blog/improvements-to-high-performance-endpoint.

What security and compliance certifications does Hygraph have?

Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (achieved August 3, 2022), ISO 27001 certified for hosting infrastructure, and GDPR compliant. These certifications demonstrate Hygraph's commitment to security and compliance. See security features: https://hygraph.com/features/secure.

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 like dedicated hosting and custom SLAs. It also supports GDPR and CCPA compliance and offers a transparent process for reporting security issues. Learn more: https://hygraph.com/features/secure.

Who is the target audience for Hygraph?

Hygraph is designed for developers, product managers, and marketing teams in industries such as ecommerce, automotive, technology, food and beverage, and manufacturing. It is ideal for organizations modernizing legacy tech stacks, global enterprises needing localization and content federation, and businesses seeking scalable, future-proof content management. Try Hygraph: https://hygraph.com/try-headless-cms.

What problems does Hygraph solve for its customers?

Hygraph addresses operational inefficiencies (eliminating developer dependency, modernizing tech stacks, ensuring content consistency), financial challenges (reducing costs, accelerating speed-to-market, supporting scalability), and technical issues (simplifying schema evolution, resolving integration difficulties, optimizing performance, and improving localization and asset management). See related KPIs: https://hygraph.com/blog/cms-kpi.

What are some real-world results achieved with Hygraph?

Customers have achieved significant results, such as Komax realizing a 3X faster time-to-market, Samsung improving customer engagement by 15%, and Stobag increasing online revenue share from 15% to 70%. See more customer stories: https://hygraph.com/p/headless-cms.

How easy is it to get started with Hygraph?

Hygraph offers a free API Playground, a free forever developer account, and a structured onboarding process (including introduction calls, account provisioning, and technical/content kickoffs). Teams can start immediately, and extensive documentation, webinars, and how-to videos are available for self-paced learning. Get started: https://hygraph.com/docs/getting-started.

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 their initial implementation. The platform is designed for rapid onboarding and deployment. Read the Top Villas case study: https://hygraph.com/case-studies/top-villas-case-study#why-hygraph.

What training and technical support is available for Hygraph customers?

Hygraph provides a structured onboarding process, training resources (webinars, live streams, how-to videos), extensive documentation, 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, Intercom chat for real-time troubleshooting, a community Slack channel, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager for enterprise customers. See Hygraph Documentation: https://hygraph.com/docs.

How does Hygraph handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?

Hygraph is a cloud-based platform, so all deployment, updates, security, and infrastructure maintenance are managed by Hygraph. Upgrades are seamless and require no manual intervention. Troubleshooting is supported by 24/7 support, Intercom chat, community Slack, and extensive documentation. Enterprise customers receive a dedicated Customer Success Manager. Learn more: https://hygraph.com/docs.

How do customers rate the ease of use of Hygraph?

Customers frequently praise Hygraph's intuitive user interface, accessibility for non-technical users, and ease of setup. It was recognized for 'Best Usability' in Summer 2023. Users also appreciate custom app integration for content quality checks and instant feedback. Try Hygraph: https://hygraph.com/try-headless-cms.

What support options are available after purchasing Hygraph?

Customers have access to 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, real-time troubleshooting through Intercom chat, a community Slack channel, extensive documentation, training resources, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager for enterprise accounts. See support details: https://hygraph.com/pricing.

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

Key KPIs include time saved on content updates, number of updates made without developer intervention, system uptime, speed of deployment, content consistency across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, ROI on CMS investment, time to market for new products, maintenance costs, and scalability metrics. Read more: https://hygraph.com/blog/cms-kpi.

Can you share some customer success stories with Hygraph?

Yes. Komax achieved a 3X faster time-to-market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement with a scalable platform, and Dr. Oetker enhanced their digital experience using MACH architecture. Explore more: https://hygraph.com/p/headless-cms.

#Glossary

#Basic concepts

Concept	Description
API Playground	The API Playground, located on the left sidebar of the Hygraph app, allows you to to experiment with querying, and mutating data.
Assets	The Asset model is included in every project by default. It is commonly used for images, but can also support any file type. Assets can be fetched, referenced, transformed, uploaded, updated, published, localized, deleted, and embedded.
Component	A component is a predefined set of fields that can be reused across models and content entries. You can think of a component as a flexible, reusable template where you define the fields that will be used inside a component once, and then fill them with different content every time you use it in a content entry.
Content modeling	The content model defines the schema of your content. It describes what kind of content you want to store, how it relates to each other, and in what way it can be edited within Hygraph.
Content views	Hygraph features default and custom content views. The default content views are the system views which list all content entries that have been created based on the respective content models. Custom content views are filtered for specific content entries.
Enumeration	An enumeration (or enum for short) can be used to group values within a type. Enums can be useful to filter, and define certain content entries in your project.
Model	You can define your schema by adding models and then adding fields to said models. Click here to learn more about models.
Mutations	Operations that allow you to insert new data or modify the existing data on the server-side. Click here to learn more about mutations.
Preview URLs	Preview URLs are automatically generated links that allow you to preview content in your frontend before it's published. Configuring this feature adds a button to the Content Editor's right sidebar, so editors can quickly access content previews.
Relations	References, often referred as relations, allow you to connect one or more models together, and even reference multiple models as a single field type with GraphQL Union Types.
Remote sources	Remote Sources is our content federation utility. It allows adding content from other systems and sources to the Hygraph API without having to migrate the content itself.
Schema builder	Inside the schema builder, you can add fields, create relationships between models, and much more. Click here to learn more about our schema builder.
Sidebar	When editing models in the schema editor, your sidebar is the second tab in the center section of the screen. Edit the contents of the sidebar tab to customize the sidebar you see in the content editor while creating or editing content.
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.

#Content stages

This list offers a brief description of the two content stages every Hygraph project has by default.

Stage name	Description
Draft	Content that has never been published. Draft content can be added, edited and saved, without affecting published content.
Published	Published content. If the published button displays green, it means content that has been pushed live. If the published button displays blue, it means a new draft version has been saved and the published content is now outdated.

Additionally, you can create custom content stages for your project. Click to find out more.

#Widgets

This lists offer a brief description of the widgets available in Hygraph's schema editor.

#Field widgets

Widget name	Description
Single line text	String type field widget. It is used for adding headings and titles.
Multi line text	String type field widget. It is used for adding text such as descriptions.
Markdown	String type field widget. This widget is a markdown editor.
Slug	String type field widget. It is used for adding URL friendly identifiers to your content.
Rich text	Text type field widget. This widget is a text editor with formatting.
Number	Integer type field widget. It is used for adding a numeric field, such as an ID or identifier.
Float	Float type field widget. It is used for adding numbers that are not integers because they can include decimal values, for example, ratings or prices.
Boolean	Boolean type field widget. It is used for adding a switch that represents true/false.
Date	Date type field widget. This is a calendar date picker.
Date and time	Date and time type field widget. This is a calendar date picker that includes time.
JSON editor	JSON type field widget. It allows adding arbitrary JSON structures.
Cloudinary asset	JSON type field widget. It allows picking assets from Cloudinary.
Asset picker	Asset type field widget. It allows selecting assets from your project, and supports any file type.
Color	Color type field widget. Supports HEX and RGBA.
Map	Location type field widget. Allows adding geo coordinates to your content.
Dropdown	Enumeration type field widget. Allows adding a dropdown list of values to your content.
Basic Component	Component type field widget. This basic widget is used for single components. Click here to learn more about Components.
Modular Component	Modular component type field widget. This modular widget is used for multiple components. Click here to learn more about Components.
Reference	Relation type field widget. It is used for content relationships.
REST	REST type field widget. It is used to add external data via REST.
GraphQL	GraphQL type field widget. It is used to add external data via GraphQL.

#Sidebar widgets

Widget name	Description
Entry information	System sidebar widget, added to your model by default. It offers basic entry information.
Localizations	System sidebar widget, added to your model by default. It allows viewing localized fields.
Stages	System sidebar widget, added to your model by default. It allows viewing in-app content stages.
Versions	System sidebar widget, added to your model by default. It allows viewing the evolution of your content.
Schedule	System sidebar widget, added to your model by default. It allows scheduling entries to be published later.
Preview	System sidebar widget. It allows previewing content changes by adding a preview link to your content.

Click here to know more about system fields.

#Components

Concept	Description
Component	A component is a predefined set of fields that can be reused across models and content entries.
Component instance	A specific occurrence of the component type, containing content, inside a content entry.
Component field	A special field type in your Hygraph schema that defines which components of which type can be used in a model. Component fields can be of basic or modular types.
Nested components	Functionality that allows you to create components within a component.

Click here to know more about components.

Frequently Asked Questions

Product Information & Core Concepts