How to Combine Phoenix LiveView with GraphQL for Real-Time, Reactive Interfaces

GraphQL lets clients ask for exactly what they need.

Phoenix LiveView turns server state into live HTML over WebSockets.

Pair them and you get:

🎯 Precise backend queries (GraphQL)
⚡ Reactive, server‑rendered views (LiveView)
🧩 All in Elixir — no Apollo, no Redux, no SPA bloat

1 ▸ Add Absinthe to Your Phoenix App

# mix.exs
defp deps do
  [
    {:absinthe, "~> 1.7"},
    {:absinthe_plug, "~> 1.7"},
    {:absinthe_phoenix, "~> 2.0"} # for subscriptions
  ]
end

Create a schema:

# lib/my_app_web/schema.ex
object :user do
  field :id, non_null(:id)
  field :name, :string
  field :email, :string
  field :orders, list_of(:order)
end

Expose it:

# router.ex
forward "/api/graphql", Absinthe.Plug, schema: MyAppWeb.Schema

2 ▸ Query GraphQL inside LiveView

def handle_event("load_user", %{"id" => id}, socket) do
  {:ok, %{data: data}} =
    Absinthe.run(
      ~S(
        query ($id: ID!) {
          user(id: $id) {
            name
            email
            orders { total }
          }
        }
      ),
      MyAppWeb.Schema,
      variables: %{"id" => id}
    )

  {:noreply, assign(socket, user: data["user"])}
end

No Apollo client
No JS fetch
Pure Elixir, pure LiveView.

3 ▸ Render the Result

<button phx-click="load_user" phx-value-id="42" class="btn">Load User</button>

<%= if @user do %>
  <div class="mt-4 p-4 border rounded">
    <h2 class="font-bold"><%= @user["name"] %></h2>
    <p class="text-sm text-gray-600"><%= @user["email"] %></p>

    <h3 class="mt-3 font-semibold">Orders</h3>
    <ul class="list-disc ml-5">
      <%= for o <- @user["orders"] do %>
        <li>$<%= o["total"] %></li>
      <% end %>
    </ul>
  </div>
<% end %>

Tailwind keeps the UI crisp; LiveView rerenders instantly.

4 ▸ Mutations & Instant Feedback

def handle_event("update_email", %{"email" => email}, socket) do
  {:ok, %{data: %{"updateEmail" => user}}} =
    Absinthe.run("""
      mutation ($id: ID!, $email: String!) {
        updateEmail(id: $id, email: $email) { id name email }
      }
    """, MyAppWeb.Schema, variables: %{"id" => socket.assigns.user_id, "email" => email})

  {:noreply, assign(socket, user: user)}
end

No client-side state management — LiveView assigns are the state.

5 ▸ Real‑Time Updates with GraphQL Subscriptions

# schema.ex
subscription do
  field :order_created, :order do
    config fn _, _ ->
      {:ok, topic: "*"}
    end
  end
end

In LiveView (thanks to absinthe_phoenix):

def mount(_, _, socket) do
  {:ok, socket} =
    Absinthe.Phoenix.Subscription.subscribe(socket, "order_created")
end

def handle_info(%{subscription_data: %{result: %{data: %{"orderCreated" => order}}}}, socket) do
  {:noreply, stream_insert(socket, :orders, order)}
end

Every new order shows up live without polling.

6 ▸ Pagination, Filters, & Arguments

GraphQL handles vars; LiveView handles events:

<select phx-change="change_page" name="page">
  <%= for p <- 1..@total_pages do %>
    <option value={p}><%= p %></option>
  <% end %>
</select>

def handle_event("change_page", %{"page" => p}, socket) do
  run_page_query(String.to_integer(p))
end

7 ▸ Why This Stack Rocks

Layer	Role
GraphQL	Declarative data contract, fine‑grained ops
LiveView	Real‑time HTML/assigns over WebSockets
Absinthe	Elixir‑native execution & subscriptions
Tailwind	Consistent, utility‑first styling

All Elixir → one codebase, one skillset
No SPA → faster cold start, SEO‑friendly
Real‑time over channels without extra plumbing

Dive Deeper

📘 Phoenix LiveView: The Pro’s Guide to Scalable Interfaces and UI Patterns

Server‑side GraphQL querying strategies
Subscriptions & Presence patterns
Real‑time dashboards without JS frameworks
Production tips for caching, auth, and error handling

Build data‑rich, real‑time interfaces without frontend bloat.

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