GraphQL and REST API are two effective ways to develop backend APIs. REST API has been the industry standard for over two decades. However, GraphQL is gaining traction. It aims to overcome the issues present in REST APIs by reducing the number of data requests that users make, among other benefits. By understanding the difference between GraphQL and REST API, you can choose the best architectural style for your project.
Read on to find out what GraphQL and REST API are, their similarities and differences, and when to use each one.
Key Takeaways:
GraphQL, internally developed by Facebook in 2012 and released open source to the public in 2015, is known as a query language and server-side runtime for APIs.
GraphQL overcame many issues that developers – specifically social media platform developers – would face with RESTful APIs. The most prominent issue was the amount of code required to process multiple API calls, which resulted in slow performance and a poor user experience for social media platforms.
To overcome the limitations of REST APIs, GraphQL can:
A REST API conforms to the constraint of the REST architectural style. It allows web services and systems to communicate with each other via the HTTP protocol. Any API that follows the six guiding constraints of REST is considered RESTful. Those six constraints are:
REST APIs use URIs (unique resource identifiers) to address resources. They also work by having multiple endpoints perform CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) functions using the following HTTP verbs:
Both GraphQL and REST API are popular architectural styles for developing backend APIs. They are similar because they are stateless (the GraphQL server does not save a response between requests) use a client-server model (a request from a single client leads to responses from a single server) and use HTTP to communicate over the web. Choosing the right environment is a vital component of API product management.
Furthermore, both GraphQL and REST API refer to any object or data as a resource. And each resource has a URI. A great example of a resource is a post on a social media platform. Each post has its own URI (/posts/456) and its own set of operations (GET, to retrieve the post via REST).
Lastly, both architectural styles support most of the same data formats, such as JSON (JavaScript object notation), a popular data exchange format as it is self-describing, lightweight, and easy to understand. Also, GraphQL API and REST API support less popular but still relevant data formats like XML and HTML. Best of all? They are also compatible with any database structure and programming language, be it client-side or server-side.
There are key differences between GraphQL and REST API. The most prominent are how they manage data retrievals, versioning, and error handling. These differences influence how developers use these tools and which projects they use them on. The environment you choose can also influence the API security best practices you must follow.
Are you planning on outsourcing your software development? If so, you want to partner with a team that can translate complex technical information into terms you can understand. That is why, when you work with Orient Software, we take the time to understand your situation and help you choose an API solution that meets your unique requirements.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the differences between these tools.
GraphQL sends and receives requests through a single endpoint, which helps reduce the number of requests a client makes to retrieve data. Instead of submitting multiple requests to retrieve data from multiple data sources, GraphQL can retrieve only explicitly requested data in a single pass.
On the other hand, REST APIs contain multiple endpoints. Each endpoint receives requests about a specific resource on its server. For example, one endpoint might allow a client to modify a post on their social media page, while another endpoint might allow a client to respond to another user’s post. With a REST API, each endpoint has a dedicated URL.
REST APIs use versioning to describe when a change occurs. For example, when developers change the data structure or operations. Developers typically label these changes in the URL, which may look like this: www.example.com/api/v2. Without versioning, the risk of service disruptions and system errors may increase – especially in the case of a third-party API.
On the other hand, GraphQL does not require versioning. Why? Because it can retrieve the exact data a user needs without fear of over-fetching or under-fetching. Hence, it does not matter if new fields or operations are present, as they do not affect clients that don’t need those fields.
REST APIs use HTTP status codes, which indicate the status or success of a request. The three most common status codes are 200 (a successful request), 400 (a client error), and 500 (a server error). Unfortunately, these error codes are only helpful for web users, as the REST architecture itself has no specification for errors. As a result, developers may need to read documentation to understand the context of a specific error message.
GraphQL takes a different approach to handling errors. Instead of using HTTP for status codes, the system will always return a 200 OK status code, even if the API request does not result in an error. However, there are two categories of error types, namely syntax errors and execution errors, which developers can use to determine the nature of a code error.
The great thing about REST and GraphQL is that you can use both interchangeably. However, there are certain situations where one is preferable to the other. Knowing which architecture is the right fit will assist with your API development project.
As you can see, both GraphQL and REST API are effective ways to fetch data from the internet. But they each have their pros, cons, and use cases. But how do you know which backend environment is best for you?
If you plan to outsource your software development, then your development team will choose for you. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stay in the dark. Your dedicated team should justify its decision, explaining the benefits and practicalities of their chosen environment.
At Orient Software, we have years of experience integrating APIs into all kinds of web services. Our experienced frontend and backend teams of developers will help you unlock the full potential of your API integration. Whether you need to integrate first- or third-party APIs into your project, our talented developers can seamlessly incorporate them into your web app or web service.
Contact us today. Find out how our web application development services can contribute to your project’s success.
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