# Subscriptions/getting-started error server must support graphql-ws

**URL:** <https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906>\
**Category:** GraphQL & GRANDstack\
**Tags:** websocket, subscriptions\
**Created:** [February 15, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906 "2023-02-15T18:14:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aymeric](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/aymeric/32/27568_2.png) [@Aymeric](https://community.neo4j.com/u/Aymeric)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/1 "2023-02-15T18:14:16Z")

</div>

Hello friends.

I try to realize the topic of Subscriptions in the documentation , by replacing the express server by createhandler in lambda ([Getting Started with Subscriptions - Neo4j GraphQL Library](https://neo4j.com/docs/graphql-manual/current/subscriptions/getting-started/#_setting_up_the_server))

```auto
import { createServer } from 'http';
import express from 'express';
import { ApolloServer, gql } from 'apollo-server-lambda';
import { WebSocketServer } from 'ws'; //ok1
import { useServer } from 'graphql-ws/lib/use/ws'; //ok2
import DatabaseManager from '../../services/database/DatabaseManager';
import { Neo4jGraphQL, Neo4jGraphQLSubscriptionsSingleInstancePlugin} from '@neo4j/graphql';
import { ApolloServerPluginDrainHttpServer } from 'apollo-server-core';

const typeDefs = gql`
type Movie {
  title: String!
  description: String!
}
`;

const driver = DatabaseManager.driver ;

const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
  typeDefs,
  driver,
  plugins: {
    subscriptions: new Neo4jGraphQLSubscriptionsSingleInstancePlugin(),
},})

const app = express();
const httpServer = createServer(app);

const wsServer = new WebSocketServer({
    server: httpServer,
    path: "/graphql"
});

  const initServer = () => {

  return neoSchema.getSchema().then(async (schema)=>{

    const serverCleanup = useServer({schema}, wsServer);

    const server = new ApolloServer({
      schema,
      plugins: [
          ApolloServerPluginDrainHttpServer({
              httpServer
          }),
          {
              async serverWillStart() {
                  return {
                      async drainServer() {
                          await serverCleanup.dispose();
                      },
                  };
              },
          },
      ],
  });

    const handlerMiddleware = server.createHandler()

    return handlerMiddleware
  })
}

export const handler = async (event:any, context: any, callback: any) => {
  const serverHandler = await initServer();

  return serverHandler({...event}, context, callback)
};

```

But when I try to realize Subscription in ([Studio](https://studio.apollographql.com/sandbox/explorer))

```auto
subscription MovieCreated($where: MovieSubscriptionWhere) {
  movieCreated(where: $where) {
    event
    timestamp
    createdMovie {
      title
      description
    }
  }
}

```

with variables:

```auto
{
  "where": {
    "title": "new film created"
  }
}

```

I have this error message : {  
"message": "server must support graphql-ws or subscriptions-transport-ws protocol"  
}

I don't understand why , could you help me please .

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thomas.wiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@thomas.wiss](https://community.neo4j.com/u/thomas.wiss)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 7:36am UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/2 "2023-02-16T07:36:19Z")

</div>

Hi Aymeric!

In your Javascript code of the server setup, please also apply the middleware like so:

```auto
    server.applyMiddleware({
        app
    });

```

(the `server` is the apollo server and `app` is the node.js express app + wsServer)

Please refer to the bottom part of the code snippet of the server setup in the [Getting started with Subscriptions docs page](https://neo4j.com/docs/graphql-manual/current/subscriptions/getting-started/#_setting_up_the_server)

Hope this solves the issue!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aymeric](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/aymeric/32/27568_2.png) [@Aymeric](https://community.neo4j.com/u/Aymeric)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 9:44am UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/3 "2023-02-16T09:44:13Z")

</div>

Hi Thomas,

First of all I would like to thank you for the work done on the neo4j/graphql library. It is a pleasure to use it.

I have try to start express server and applyMiddleware, before createHandler and I meet two errors :

- when I try :

```auto
await server.start()

```

//Error: When using an ApolloServer subclass from a serverless framework package, you don't need to call start(); just call createHandler().

- and when I try :

```auto
server.applyMiddleware({app})

```

//Error: You must `await server.start()` before calling `server.applyMiddleware()`

I tried passing the server in the createdHandler with :

```auto
exports.handler = server.createHandler({
   expressAppFromMiddleware(middleware) {
     app.use(middleware);
     return app;
   }
});

```

With neo4j/graphql the resolvers are automatically created  
But the result of the same subscription return:

{  
"errors": [  
{  
"message": "Payload is undefined. Can't call subscriptions resolver directly.",  
"rentals": [  
{  
"line": 2,  
column: 3  
}  
],  
"path": [  
"movieCreated"  
],  
"extensions": {  
"code": "INTERNAL\_SERVER\_ERROR",  
"exception": {  
"stacktrace": [  
"Error: Payload is undefined. Can't call subscriptions resolver directly.",  
" at subscriptionResolve (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/@neo4j/graphql/dist/schema/resolvers/subscriptions/subscribe.js:30:15)",  
" at /Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/@neo4j/graphql/dist/schema/resolvers/wrapper.js:114:12",  
" at field.resolve (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/utils/schemaInstrumentation.js:56:26)",  
" at executeField (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:481:20)",  
" at executeFields (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:413:20)",  
" at executeOperation (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:358:14)",  
" at execute (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:136:20)",  
" at execute (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/requestPipeline.js:205:48)",  
" at processGraphQLRequest (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/requestPipeline.js:148:34)",  
" at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task\_queues.js:95:5)",  
" at async processHTTPRequest (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/runHttpQuery.js:221:30)"  
]  
}  
}  
}  
],  
"data": null

If you have an idea, I'll take any advice.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thomas.wiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@thomas.wiss](https://community.neo4j.com/u/thomas.wiss)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 12:19pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/4 "2023-02-16T12:19:46Z")

</div>

Hi again!  
Could you share your entire, updated, server code snippet (again)? That would make it a bit easier to investigate/debug it.  
Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aymeric](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/aymeric/32/27568_2.png) [@Aymeric](https://community.neo4j.com/u/Aymeric)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 1:12pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/5 "2023-02-16T13:12:22Z")

</div>

Yes of course

```auto
import { createServer } from "http";
import express from "express";
import { ApolloServer, gql } from "apollo-server-lambda";
import { WebSocketServer } from "ws"; 
import { useServer } from "graphql-ws/lib/use/ws"; 
import DatabaseManager from "../../services/database/DatabaseManager";
import { Neo4jGraphQL, Neo4jGraphQLSubscriptionsSingleInstancePlugin } from "@neo4j/graphql";
import { ApolloServerPluginDrainHttpServer } from "apollo-server-core";

const typeDefs = gql`
  type Movie {
    title: String!
    description: String!
  }
`;

const driver = DatabaseManager.driver;

const neoSchema = new Neo4jGraphQL({
  typeDefs,
  driver,
  plugins: {
    subscriptions: new Neo4jGraphQLSubscriptionsSingleInstancePlugin(),
  },
});

const app = express();
const httpServer = createServer(app);

const wsServer = new WebSocketServer({
  server: httpServer,
  path: "/graphql",
});

const initServer = () => {
  return neoSchema.getSchema().then(async (schema) => {
    const serverCleanup = useServer({ schema }, wsServer);

    const server = new ApolloServer({
      schema,
      context: ({ event }) => ({ req: { headers: event.headers } }),
      plugins: [
        ApolloServerPluginDrainHttpServer({
          httpServer,
        }),
        {
          async serverWillStart() {
            return {
              async drainServer() {
                await serverCleanup.dispose();
              },
            };
          },
        },
      ],
    });

    // If I try :
    //await server.start()
    //I have this error => //Error: When using an ApolloServer subclass from a serverless framework package, you don't need to call start(); just call createHandler().

    // If I try :
    //server.applyMiddleware({app})
    //I have this error => //Error: You must `await server.start()` before calling `server.applyMiddleware()`
// Then i try to use expressAppFromMiddleware() function to passed app server as middleware.

    const handlerMiddleware = server.createHandler({
      expressGetMiddlewareOptions: {
        cors: {
          origin: "*",
          credentials: true,
        },
      },
      expressAppFromMiddleware(middleware) {
        app.use(middleware);
        return app;
      },
    });

    return handlerMiddleware;
  });
};

export const handler = async (event: any, context: any, callback: any) => {
  const serverHandler = await initServer();

  return serverHandler({ ...event }, context, callback);
};

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![thomas.wiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@thomas.wiss](https://community.neo4j.com/u/thomas.wiss)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 7:28am UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/6 "2023-02-20T07:28:18Z")

</div>

> [@Aymeric](#):
>
> `Then i try to use expressAppFromMiddleware() function to passed app server as middleware.`

What error do you get in this situation?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aymeric](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex021/user_avatar/community.neo4j.com/aymeric/32/27568_2.png) [@Aymeric](https://community.neo4j.com/u/Aymeric)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://community.neo4j.com/t/subscriptions-getting-started-error-server-must-support-graphql-ws/60906/7 "2023-02-20T17:17:02Z")

</div>

In this situation, I have the same error :

> {  
> “errors”: [  
> {  
> “message”: “Payload is undefined. Can’t call subscriptions resolver directly.”,  
> “rentals”: [  
> {  
> “line”: 2,  
> column: 3  
> }  
> ],  
> “path”: [  
> “movieCreated”  
> ],  
> “extensions”: {  
> “code”: “INTERNAL\_SERVER\_ERROR”,  
> “exception”: {  
> “stacktrace”: [  
> “Error: Payload is undefined. Can’t call subscriptions resolver directly.”,  
> " at subscriptionResolve (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/@neo4j/graphql/dist/schema/resolvers/subscriptions/subscribe.js:30:15)“,  
> " at /Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/@neo4j/graphql/dist/schema/resolvers/wrapper.js:114:12”,  
> " at field.resolve (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/utils/schemaInstrumentation.js:56:26)“,  
> " at executeField (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:481:20)”,  
> " at executeFields (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:413:20)“,  
> " at executeOperation (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:358:14)”,  
> " at execute (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/graphql/execution/execute.js:136:20)“,  
> " at execute (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/requestPipeline.js:205:48)”,  
> " at processGraphQLRequest (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/requestPipeline.js:148:34)“,  
> " at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task\_queues.js:95:5)”,  
> " at async processHTTPRequest (/Users/Aymeric/my-projects/node\_modules/apollo-server-core/dist/runHttpQuery.js:221:30)"  
> ]  
> }  
> }  
> }  
> ],  
> “data”: null