Score GraphQL query cost from depth, breadth and list multipliers.
Nested lists multiply rather than add, so cost grows exponentially with depth. A depth of five with ten items per level resolves over a hundred thousand nodes, which is why depth and complexity limits are a security control rather than a performance nicety. Without a complexity limit a single crafted query can exhaust a GraphQL server, which makes this a denial-of-service surface unique to flexible query APIs.
GraphQL Complexity
Complexity = Σ(list multiplier^level) × fields per level × cost per field
Complexity = Σ(list multiplier^level) × fields per level × cost per field Nested lists multiply rather than add, so cost grows exponentially with depth. A depth of five with ten items per level resolves over a hundred thousand nodes, which is why depth and complexity limits are a security control rather than a performance nicety.
Without a complexity limit a single crafted query can exhaust a GraphQL server, which makes this a denial-of-service surface unique to flexible query APIs.
This calculator takes 5 inputs: Query depth, Fields per level, List size multiplier per level, Configured complexity limit, Cost per field. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.