GraphQL vs. REST: Why Modern Apps are Switching

Introduction

For decades, REST (Representational State Transfer) has been the de facto standard for APIs. But as applications have become more complex and data-rich, the rigid structure of REST has shown its limitations. Enter GraphQL.

The Problem with REST

Imagine you want to display a user's profile and their last 3 posts. In REST, this might require:

• GET /users/123 (fetching generic user data)
• GET /users/123/posts (fetching all posts)

This leads to:

• Over-fetching: Getting data you don't need (e.g., user's address when you only need their name).
• Under-fetching: Needing multiple round-trips to get related data.

The GraphQL Solution

With GraphQL, the client asks for exactly what it needs in a single request:

query {
  user(id: "123") {
    name
    profilePicture
    posts(limit: 3) {
      title
      likes
    }
  }
}

Key Advantages

1. Strongly Typed Schema

GraphQL APIs are defined by a strict schema. This acts as a contract between frontend and backend, allowing teams to work in parallel and catching errors early.

2. Single Endpoint

No more managing versioned endpoints like /v1/users or /v2/products. GraphQL evolves without breaking changes.

3. Developer Experience

Tools like GraphiQL provide auto-complete documentation, making it incredibly easy for developers to explore the API.

Conclusion

While REST isn't going away, GraphQL is the superior choice for complex, data-driven applications where performance and developer flexibility are paramount.

At Avrut Solutions, we build high-performance GraphQL APIs using Apollo and NodeJS to power next-gen web organizations.