Comparison of REST vs GraphQL
🧠 1. What They Are
| Aspect | REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | API architecture style | API query language and runtime |
| Developed by | Many contributors over time | Facebook (2012) |
🧱 2. Basic Structure
| Feature | REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint style | Multiple URLs (one per resource) | Single URL for all queries |
| Example URL | GET /users/1/posts | Single endpoint: /graphql |
🕹️ 3. Data Fetching
| REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|
| Over-fetching (get more data than needed) | ✅ Often happens |
| Under-fetching (need multiple requests) | ✅ Common |
| Precise data fetching | ❌ No |
Example:
If you only want name and email of a user:
REST response might give:
GraphQL query:
🔄 4. Flexibility & Versioning
| Feature | REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|---|
Requires versioning (v1, v2) | ✅ Usually | |
| Schema evolves without versioning | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Frontend controls the data shape | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
⚡ 5. Performance & Efficiency
| REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|
| Multiple round trips | ✅ |
| One request for nested data | ❌ |
| Better for simple apps | ✅ |
🧰 6. Tooling and Learning Curve
| REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|
| Easier to learn | ✅ Yes |
| Strong typing (schema) | ❌ Not built-in |
| Great dev tools (Postman, etc.) | ✅ |
🛡️ 7. Security Considerations
| REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|
| Simple access control | ✅ |
| Needs rate limiting, endpoint-based auth | ✅ |
| Risk of complex nested queries (DoS) | ❌ |
🏁 8. When to Use What?
| Use Case | Best Choice |
|---|---|
| Simple CRUD API | REST |
| Mobile apps needing minimal data | GraphQL |
| Dynamic frontends with nested or relational data | GraphQL |
| Standard public APIs | REST |
| Legacy or widespread adoption | REST |
🚀 Summary
| Criteria | REST | GraphQL |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple endpoints | ✅ | ❌ |
| Single endpoint | ❌ | ✅ |
| Precise data control | ❌ | ✅ |
| Easy to cache | ✅ | ⚠️ Harder |
| Requires versioning | ✅ | ❌ |
| Faster for complex queries | ❌ | ✅ |
