REST and GraphQL are two popular approaches for building APIs, each with distinct characteristics and use cases. Understanding their differences can help developers choose the right tool for their specific needs.
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style that uses HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to interact with resources identified by URLs. It is widely adopted due to its simplicity, scalability, and compatibility with various tools and libraries. However, REST often suffers from over-fetching (retrieving unnecessary data) or under-fetching (requiring multiple requests to get all needed data), which can impact performance.
GraphQL, on the other hand, is a query language and runtime developed by Facebook. It allows clients to request exactly the data they need, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching. GraphQL uses a single endpoint for all operations, and its strongly-typed schema ensures precise data retrieval. It also supports real-time updates through subscriptions, making it ideal for dynamic applications.