Use mutations to modify data

Mutations are what apps use to perform operations to change, update, or delete data on the server.

In GraphQL, you can use mutations to modify multiple fields with a single request. If you’re familiar with REST API, mutations are similar to the POST, PUT, and DELETE operations.

While it’s possible to create and update data with queries in GraphQL, it’s best practice to use mutations to change or update data. And unlike queries, mutations run in series instead of in parallel.

How to use mutations

For Intuit Ecosystem API, you’ll use mutations often for things like transactions and invoices.

Here’s a simple mutation to create an employer deduction:

mutation {
  createEmployerDeduction (
    deduction: {
      name: "My plan deduction"
      statutoryDeductionPolicy: "Annual max is 10k"
    }
  ) {
    id
    name
  }
}

Mutations typically take input data and define fields based on the response the server returns.

In this example, the mutation took the deduction argument and let the server define the id and name fields based on the response.

Learn more about mutations from GraphQL.org.