Retool Setup for REST/GraphQL API Work

Setting Up Retool for REST/GraphQL API Integration

Retool connects to any REST or GraphQL API as a resource. This allows building internal tools on top of existing APIs without direct database access.

REST API Resource

In Retool → Resources → REST API:

Base URL: https://api.example.com/v1
Headers:
  Authorization: Bearer {{ retoolContext.userInfo.email }}
  Content-Type: application/json
  X-Service: retool-internal

For dynamic tokens, use Custom Auth with OAuth2 or retrieve a token via a separate query.

REST Queries in Retool

// Query: getUsers
{
  "method": "GET",
  "path": "/users",
  "queryParams": {
    "search": "{{ searchInput.value }}",
    "status": "{{ statusFilter.value }}",
    "page": "{{ currentPage.value }}",
    "limit": "20"
  }
}

// Query: updateUserStatus
{
  "method": "PATCH",
  "path": "/users/{{ usersTable.selectedRow.data.id }}",
  "body": {
    "status": "{{ newStatusSelect.value }}",
    "reason": "{{ reasonInput.value }}"
  }
}

GraphQL Resource

# Query: fetchDashboardData
query GetDashboard($userId: ID!, $ordersLimit: Int!) {
  user(id: $userId) {
    id
    name
    email
    subscription { plan, status, expiresAt }
    orders(limit: $ordersLimit) {
      id
      status
      total
      createdAt
    }
  }
}

Variables in Retool:

{
  "userId": "{{ userIdInput.value }}",
  "ordersLimit": 10
}

Transformers

JavaScript for transforming API responses:

// Transformer for formatting table data
return data.users.map(user => ({
  ...user,
  createdAt: new Date(user.createdAt).toLocaleDateString('en-US'),
  statusLabel: { active: 'Active', blocked: 'Blocked' }[user.status] || user.status,
  lifetimeValue: `$${user.lifetimeValue.toLocaleString('en-US')}`
}));

Webhook Triggers

Retool Workflows can be triggered via Webhook from external systems. Example: when a complaint arrives in Zendesk, automatically open the user profile in the Retool support tool.

Timeline

Connecting REST/GraphQL resources and 5–10 queries with transformers — 1–2 days.