GraphQL vs REST API

If you are an Android or a Web Developer, you must have often come across the two important ways of designing your APIs. They are GraphQL and REST. Both of these are used to communicate between your front end and back end, but they serve very different purposes. This blog will provide you with a clear comparison between GraphQL and REST so that you can understand the concepts easily. So let’s get started!

Table of Contents:

• What is an API?
• What is REST API?
• What is GraphQL?
• Difference between GraphQL and REST API
• Core Aspects of REST APIs
• Key Features of GraphQL
• Advantages and Disadvantages of REST API
  • Advantages of REST API
  • Disadvantages of REST API
• Advantages and Disadvantages of GraphQL
  • Advantages of GraphQL
  • Disadvantages of GraphQL
• Conclusion

What is an API?

Before you dive into GraphQL vs REST API, it’s important to know what an API is. An API (Application Programming Interface) is basically a messenger that helps the frontend (what you see) and the backend (where data is stored) to communicate with each other. For example, when you open a website or app, the frontend sends a request through the API to get things like user profiles or product lists from the backend, and then shows it to you. Both GraphQL and REST API do this job of connecting the frontend and backend, but they handle the requests differently. That’s why when comparing GraphQL vs REST API, you’ll see differences in how fast, flexible, and efficient each one is.

What is REST API?

REST APIs (Representational State Transfer) are designed in such a way that they help you to communicate with systems easily. REST API is basically a group of useful instructions and principles, instead of a strict protocol. It provides developers with the freedom to build APIs in a flexible manner that can work across multiple platforms. This consists of web applications, mobile applications, or cloud services. The main goal of REST API is to keep things simple and well-organized.

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL was created to fix some of the problems that developers faced with REST APIs, especially when apps needed to handle changing or complex data. With GraphQL, instead of getting too much or too little data, you can ask for exactly what you need. This makes it really helpful in situations where the data is large, detailed, or keeps changing, like in modern web and mobile apps.

Difference between GraphQL and REST API

The difference between the GraphQL and REST API is given below in a tabular format:

Core Aspects of REST APIs

Given below is a detailed explanation of the core aspects of REST APIs:

1. Architectural Constraints: REST follows six important steps to make apps fast and easy to change. It separates frontend and backend (client-server), doesn’t store past request data (stateless), allows caching to save time, uses a standard way to access data (uniform interface), supports layered setups for better structure, and can send extra code when needed (code on demand).

2. Data Transfer and Formats: REST APIs can also be used to transfer information in the form of JSON, HTML, or plain text. Among these, JSON is the most popular because it’s easy to read and works well with almost any programming language, making it a flexible and widely used choice for API responses.

3. Operations and Resource Identification: In REST, each piece of data (called a resource) is identified using a URL, and you use standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to interact with it. This method is simple because it uses the basic features of the web, making it easy for developers to learn and use.

Key Features of GraphQL

Some of the important features of GraphQL are explained below:

1. Strong Type System and Schema Definition: GraphQL uses a powerful type system that is used to clearly define the data that is available and how it’s structured. This makes it easier for frontend and backend teams to work separately without confusion. It also helps in testing, because you can create fake (mock) data based on the structure without needing a real server.

2. Efficient Data Fetching: With the help of GraphQL, you can access all the necessary data in just one request, even if the data comes from different sources. In REST, you often have to make multiple calls to different URLs. This helps to make GraphQL faster and more efficient, especially when you are working with complex data.

3. Real-time Data and Updates: GraphQL supports real-time updates, which is great for modern apps that need live data, like chat apps, dashboards, or notifications, to keep the user interface constantly up to date.

Advantages and Disadvantages of REST API

In this section, we are going to discuss the various advantages and disadvantages of REST APIs. They are as follows:

Advantages of REST API

1. REST API uses standard HTTP methods, so it becomes easy for developers to understand.

2. Since REST APIs are based on HTTP, they suit the natural working algorithm of the web.

3. In order to reduce load on the server, REST APIs can use HTTP caching mechanisms.

4. Each request consists of all the important information, so that the server doesn’t have to remember anything from the previous requests. This helps to make the system manageable.

5. REST APIs are supported in almost all programming languages.

Disadvantages of REST API

1. Sometimes you get more data than you need or not enough, which can make your app slower and less efficient.

2. You may need to call several endpoints to get related data.

3. REST APIs are not good at handling live updates well without any extra setup.

4. Every time you change the API, you may need to make a new version, which adds extra work and can be tricky to keep organized.

5. It is a complicated task to handle nested or related data structures in REST.

Advantages and Disadvantages of GraphQL

In this section, we are going to discuss the various advantages and disadvantages of GraphQL. They are as follows:

Advantages of GraphQL

1. With the help of GraphQL, you can choose exactly what is required, so you don’t get any extra or unnecessary information.

2. With GraphQL, you need to perform a single request, rather than asking back multiple times to receive anything you need.

3. It can easily get data that’s linked together, like a user and their posts, all in one go.

4. In GraphQL, you always have the option to update or add new data options without messing up the old ones that are already used by the apps.

5. GraphQL can also set real-time updates of data, so that users can view it instantly. It is good for things like chats or live dashboards.

Disadvantages of GraphQL

1. At first, you might find it hard to learn GraphQL, especially if you are new to APIs.

2. While building a small application, you might feel that GraphQL is too complex. 

3. Saving and reusing data (caching) is harder with GraphQL, which can make your app slower if not handled well.

4. People can ask for a lot of data at once, and that can put too much load on the server, making it slow.

5. You have to set up and organize all the data “types and relationships” (schema) in advance, which requires extra time and planning before you start.

Conclusion

Both GraphQL and REST are very efficient tools for building APIs, but they work in different ways. GraphQL gives you more control and is great for apps that need complex or real-time data. REST, on the other hand, is easier to get started with and works well for simpler or traditional applications. While choosing between GraphQL vs REST, you should always know about the needs of your application, the size of your project, and the amount of flexibility that is required. It is important for you to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both GraphQL and REST, as it will help you to make the right decision for your upcoming project. If you want to learn more about APIs, then explore our blog and enroll in our Web Development course.

GraphQL vs REST API – FAQs