REST API vs GraphQL

REST and GraphQL are two common approaches for designing APIs, each with different trade-offs around flexibility and simplicity.

REST Recap

REST organizes an API around resources and standard HTTP verbs — GET, POST, PUT, DELETE — each returning a fixed response shape.

GET /api/users/42
GET /api/users/42/orders

GraphQL Recap

GraphQL exposes a single endpoint where clients specify exactly which fields they need in a query, avoiding over- or under-fetching data.

{
  user(id: 42) {
    name
    orders {
      total
    }
  }
}

Key Differences

• REST returns fixed responses per endpoint; GraphQL lets clients shape the response.
• REST typically uses many endpoints; GraphQL usually uses one.
• GraphQL has a steeper learning curve but reduces network round-trips for complex data needs.

When to Use Each

REST remains simple and well-understood for most CRUD-style APIs. GraphQL shines when clients (e.g. mobile and web) need very different slices of the same data.