REST vs GraphQL: Choosing the Right API Style
REST and GraphQL are two dominant approaches to API design. Both are excellent — but they make different trade-offs and suit different use cases. Understanding the differences helps you make informed decisions about API design.
REST APIs
REST (Representational State Transfer) is the dominant API style — used by the vast majority of public APIs. REST APIs model resources as URLs and use HTTP methods to operate on them: GET /users/123 retrieves user 123; POST /users creates a new user; DELETE /users/123 deletes them.
REST strengths: simple, widely understood, excellent tooling, easy to cache, natural mapping to HTTP. REST is the right default for most API design.
GraphQL
GraphQL is a query language for APIs. Instead of multiple endpoints, GraphQL exposes a single endpoint where clients describe exactly the data they need in a structured query. The server returns precisely the requested data — no more, no less.
GraphQL strengths: clients fetch exactly what they need (no over-fetching), fetch data from multiple resources in a single request (no under-fetching), strong typing via schema, excellent for complex data relationships.
When to Choose Each
- REST: Public APIs, simple CRUD operations, mobile APIs where caching matters, teams with REST expertise, most backend APIs
- GraphQL: Complex data relationships with many joins, mobile apps fetching bandwidth-sensitive data, front-end teams that own their data requirements, APIs serving multiple different clients with different data needs