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REST vs. GraphQL

Two dominant API paradigms compared — when REST's simplicity wins and when GraphQL's flexibility matters.

A

REST

Pros
  • ✓ Simple — uses standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
  • ✓ Excellent caching via HTTP cache headers and CDNs
  • ✓ Well-understood by every developer and tool
  • ✓ Each endpoint has a clear, predictable URL
Cons
  • ✗ Over-fetching — endpoints return fixed data shapes, often more than needed
  • ✗ Under-fetching — complex views require multiple requests
  • ✗ Versioning is awkward (v1, v2 URL prefixes)
  • ✗ No built-in schema or type system
BEST FOR
Public APIs, CRUD-heavy applications, simple data models, projects where HTTP caching is critical, microservices with clear resource boundaries
B

GraphQL

Pros
  • ✓ Client specifies exactly the data it needs — no over-fetching
  • ✓ Single endpoint for all queries — no URL proliferation
  • ✓ Strongly typed schema serves as API documentation
  • ✓ Introspection lets tooling auto-generate types and clients
Cons
  • ✗ Caching is harder — a single POST endpoint bypasses HTTP cache
  • ✗ Query complexity can cause performance issues (N+1 queries, deep nesting)
  • ✗ Steeper learning curve for backend developers
  • ✗ File uploads and real-time subscriptions add complexity
BEST FOR
Mobile apps with bandwidth constraints, dashboard UIs with varied data needs, projects where frontend and backend teams iterate independently, APIs serving multiple client types
Verdict

Use REST when your API has clear resources, needs HTTP caching, or is consumed by many external clients. Use GraphQL when clients have diverse data needs, you want a strongly typed contract, or you are building a dashboard that pulls from many data sources. Many teams use both: REST for simple CRUD, GraphQL for complex queries.

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