REST vs GraphQL

REST and GraphQL represent two fundamentally different philosophies for API design. REST organizes APIs around resources and HTTP verbs, while GraphQL provides a query language that lets clients ask for exactly the data they need.

Core Architecture

REST APIs expose multiple endpoints (/users, /users/123/orders), each returning a fixed data shape. Clients compose workflows by calling multiple endpoints. This is simple but often leads to over-fetching (getting fields you do not need) or under-fetching (needing a second request for related data).

GraphQL exposes a single endpoint. Clients send a query describing the shape of data they want, and the server returns exactly that shape. A single query can traverse relationships, eliminating round trips.

Performance Considerations

REST benefits from decades of HTTP infrastructure — CDNs, browser caches, and reverse proxies all understand GET requests natively. GraphQL loses this advantage because every request is a POST to the same URL.

However, GraphQL can dramatically reduce total bandwidth for mobile clients by eliminating unused fields. For a dashboard that aggregates data from five services, one GraphQL query replaces five REST calls.

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Schema and Type Safety

GraphQL's schema definition language (SDL) provides a contract between client and server. Tools like Apollo Client generate TypeScript types from the schema, catching errors at compile time. REST can achieve similar guarantees with OpenAPI specs, but adoption is inconsistent.

When They Converge

Modern REST APIs increasingly adopt GraphQL-like features: sparse fieldsets (JSON:API), compound documents, and hypermedia links. Meanwhile, GraphQL APIs add persisted queries and response caching that mimic REST's caching story.

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The Bottom Line

Choose REST for public APIs, simple CRUD, and maximum cacheability. Choose GraphQL for complex client data requirements, rapid frontend iteration, and multi-platform apps where payload efficiency matters.