REST vs GraphQL: Which API Architecture Should You Use?
APIs are a foundational component of modern software systems, enabling communication between clients and servers. Two of the most commonly used API architectures today are REST and GraphQL. While both serve the same purpose, they differ significantly in design philosophy, data handling, and implementation complexity. REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style based on resources. Each resource is identified by a unique URL, and standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE are used to perform operations on those resources. REST APIs are stateless and typically return fixed data structures, making them simple to understand and easy to cache using native HTTP mechanisms. GraphQL, on the other hand, is a query language and runtime that allows clients to request exactly the data they need. Instead of multiple endpoints, GraphQL exposes a single endpoint backed by a strongly typed schema. Clients define the structure of the response, which helps elimina...