A GraphQL enum is a special scalar restricted to a fixed set of allowed values. Enums work as both input and output types. In C#, a standard enum maps directly to a GraphQL enum type.

GraphQL schema

enum UserRole {
  GUEST
  STANDARD
  ADMINISTRATOR
}

type Query {
  role: UserRole
  usersByRole(role: UserRole): [User]
}

Client query

{
  usersByRole(role: ADMINISTRATOR) {
    id
  }
}

When an enum appears in a JSON response or in a variables object, it is represented as a string ("ADMINISTRATOR"). When used directly in a query argument, it is a literal without quotes (ADMINISTRATOR).

Defining an Enum Type

Hot Chocolate picks up any C# enum that appears in a resolver's return type or parameters and exposes it as a GraphQL enum.

// Types/UserRole.cs
public enum UserRole
{
    Guest,
    Standard,
    Administrator
}

// Types/UserQueries.cs
[QueryType]
public static partial class UserQueries
{
    public static User[] GetUsersByRole(UserRole role)
    {
        // ...
    }
}

No extra registration is needed. The source generator discovers UserRole through the resolver parameter.

Naming Conventions

Hot Chocolate converts C# enum member names to UPPER_SNAKE_CASE following the GraphQL convention:

The enum type name defaults to the C# type name (UserRole).

Overriding Names

Use [GraphQLName] to set an explicit name on the type or individual values.

// Types/UserRole.cs
[GraphQLName("Role")]
public enum UserRole
{
    [GraphQLName("VISITOR")]
    Guest,
    Standard,
    Administrator
}

Both approaches produce the following schema:

enum Role {
  VISITOR
  STANDARD
  ADMINISTRATOR
}

Ignoring Values

You can exclude individual enum members from the GraphQL schema.

// Types/UserRole.cs
public enum UserRole
{
    [GraphQLIgnore]
    Internal,
    Guest,
    Standard,
    Administrator
}

Binding to Non-Enum Types

In code-first, you can bind an enum type to any .NET type, such as string.

// Types/UserRoleType.cs
public class UserRoleType : EnumType<string>
{
    protected override void Configure(IEnumTypeDescriptor<string> descriptor)
    {
        descriptor.Name("UserRole");

        descriptor
            .Value("Default")
            .Name("STANDARD");
    }
}

This is useful when enum values come from configuration or a database rather than a compile-time C# enum.

Next Steps

• Need to define output types? See Object Types.
• Need nullable or required fields? See Non-Null.
• Need to document enum values? See Documentation.
• Need to deprecate an enum value? See Versioning.