11 Tweets 1 reads Apr 13, 2023
Differences between REST and GraphQL
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REST API refers to an application programming interface (API) that uses HTTP requests to GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE data.
GraphQL is a query language for your API and a server-side runtime for executing queries using a type system you define for your data.
REST is an architectural concept for network-based software, whereas GraphQL is a query language based on specifications.
Another difference is that REST is weakly typed, but GraphQL is strongly typed.
REST utilizes multiple HTTP endpoints for various purposes (CRUD operations)
GraphQL uses a single HTTP endpoint only.
GraphQL uses a hierarchical schema to describe the organization of the API.
Because of this, the GraphQL documentation is automatically generated and updated as needed.
REST API uses multiple HTTP endpoints instead.
Each endpoint's purpose and specifications must be clearly defined, like its HTTP method and required input parameters.
Client-driven architecture is used with GraphQL.
What data are needed can be specified by the client.
REST employs a server-driven architecture in which all data filtering is done on the server.
More knowledge is needed to construct GraphQL than to build a REST API.
REST scales easier and is also easier to migrate to different servers.
Versioning is not necessary for GraphQL.
Versioning is necessary for REST. Usually, it is done as follows:
- `example.com`
- `example.com`
The typical response formats for REST are XML, JSON, and YAML.
JSON is the response format for GraphQL.
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