GraphQL vs REST

GraphQL vs REST both are approaches for designing an API that will be used for exchanging data over the internet. The REST API provides standards HTTP verbs to perform different operations all the operations are server-driven. On the other hand, GraphQL is an API query language that provides specifications and allows users to request data.

RESTful APIs or REST APIs and GraphQL APIs are very popular stateless architectures to create HTTP-based API endpoints and allow data exchange in client-server models. both provide CRUD operations via API. GraphQL and REST both work in JSON format along support XML and HTML. Both GraphQL and REST APIs are database agnostic and support almost all programming languages.

GraphQL vs REST

GraphQL came in 2012 due to growing social media platforms. Social media requires a lot of data and existing RESTful API architectures were not fulfilling the requirements.

REST has a Fixed Contract

The RESTful API provides a fixed contract structure that the client has to consume. The REST API requires client requests to follow a fixed structure to receive a resource whereas GraphQL doesn't have any fixed schema, it can add or remove values without affecting any existing customers.

REST has a Different Endpoint for each API

All REST APIs of an application falls under the same context, but the URI for each controller will be different and the Rest API doesn't provide introspection. To integrate the with a new REST API endpoint, again its contract is required.

Over Fetching

RESTful APIs always follow the contract, which means it will always return the full dataset. out of which some might not even required whereas GraphQL provides clients with an option to specify the data required.

Under Fetching

RESTful API provides different endpoints for different data, so if some API doesn't provide full resources, multiple APIs need to be called to get the entire response. Multiple round trips from the server consume bandwidth and processing power GraphQL allows the combination of multiple APIs together.

Difference Between GraphQL and REST

RESTful APIs provide separate endpoints for each API, whereas GraphQL provides specifications, over a single endpoint using HTTP

• RESTful APIs are server-driven and cannot be changed, whereas GraphQL is client-driven architecture.
• A RESTful API consists of HTTP verbs such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, HEAD, CONNECT, OPTIONS, TRACE, and PATCH for action determination. each API has its URL for the resource, for insertion and updation additional values are passed as path parameters or query parameters. on the other hand, GraphQL internally sends all data using POST only, it provides Query for fetching read-only data, Mutation for data modification, and Subscription for event-based streaming data updates.
• RESTful API supports CRUD operation whereas GraphQL provides Query, Mutation, and Subscription.
• RESTful API always follows a predefined contract and returns all the values mentioned, whereas in GraphQL the client specifies the data required.
• GraphQL defines a schema on a server written in GraphQL schema definition language that includes Input/Output request/response Object types along with resolver functions for operation on the field on the other hand RESTful APIs don't require a server-side schema.
• REST APIs are organized in API endpoints whereas GraphQL deals with schema and types.
• RESTful API provides URLs with versions, so new developments can happen on the latest version without affecting the existing APIs on the other hand GraphQL doesn't work on URLs and major updates might break the existing changes.
• GraphQL strongly typed API architecture which defines all APIs in the schema on the server, whereas RESTful weakly types API architecture.
• GraphQL is comparatively fast since it can combine multiple endpoints whereas RESTful is slow since it requires multiple network calls.

When to Use GraphQL and REST

Since GraphQL doesn't provide an HTTP layer and relies on existing IO, both GraphQL and REST APIs can coexist and have their benefits, let's see them

• IF network constraints are present and only limited bandwidth is available, reducing the number of requests and responses GraphQL is more efficient.
• The Client requires data that is scattered among multiple API endpoints, and the requirement is to combine them all in a single endpoint.

RESTful API is preferred for the below circumstances

• smaller applications with very little complexity.
• APIs fulfill their responsibility and complex queries are not required.