Explain REST vs GraphQL

REST

• Multiple endpoints (/users, /posts)
• Fixed data structure per endpoint
• Over-fetching or under-fetching common
• HTTP methods define operations (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)

GraphQL

• Single endpoint (/graphql)
• Client specifies exactly what data it needs
• No over-fetching or under-fetching
• All requests are POST with a query

When to use REST:

• Simple CRUD applications
• Caching is important (HTTP caching works well)
• Team is familiar with REST
• Public APIs with many consumers

When to use GraphQL:

• Complex data requirements
• Mobile apps (minimize data transfer)
• Rapidly evolving frontend needs
• Multiple clients with different data needs

Example

# GraphQL - get exactly what you need
query {
  user(id: "1") {
    name
    posts {
      title
    }
  }
}

vs REST: 2 requests to /users/1 and /users/1/posts