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Types of APIs

API Options Available​

REST vs. GraphQL​

Both REST and GraphQL can provide excellent solutions.

Generally, REST is the default API choice because:

  1. Simplicity:

    • REST is a simple and well-established architectural style, making it easy to understand and implement. This can be particularly useful for small-scale projects or projects with a limited budget and timeline.

  2. Widely adopted:

    • RESTful APIs are widely adopted, and many developers are already familiar with them. This can make it easier to find developers with experience working with REST APIs.

  3. Maturity:

    • REST has been around for longer than GraphQL and has been widely adopted, making it a more mature and stable technology. This can be beneficial for projects with strict timelines or those that cannot afford any downtime.

  4. Familiarity:

    • Many developers are familiar with REST and its conventions, which can make it quicker and easier to get started with.

  5. Caching:

    • RESTful APIs are based on standard HTTP methods, which allows for easy caching of responses on the client side. This can improve the performance of the application, especially for applications with a large number of read-only operations.

  6. Security:

    • REST APIs can be secured using standard web security techniques such as SSL/TLS, OAuth, and JWT, which are widely adopted and have a large community support.

However Graphql excels in a number of use cases:

  1. Flexible data fetching:

    • GraphQL allows clients to request exactly the data they need, which can be particularly useful for applications that have complex data structures or require multiple data sources. This can minimize the amount of data sent over the network and improve the overall performance of the application.

  2. Real-time updates:

    • GraphQL subscriptions allow for real-time updates to be pushed from the server to the client, making it suitable for real-time applications such as chat or collaboration tools.

  3. Mobile development:

    • GraphQL can be beneficial for mobile development, as it allows the client to minimize the amount of data sent over the network and make multiple queries in a single request, reducing the number of round trips to the server.

  4. PWA (Progressive Web Applications):

    • GraphQL is a great fit for PWA's as it allows to fetch the data that the user needs specifically and not sending unnecessary data, which could improve the performance and reduce the data usage.

  5. Microservices:

    • GraphQL is suitable for microservices architectures, as it allows for easy aggregation of data from multiple services, reducing the number of requests to the server, improving the overall performance of the application.

  6. Complex data handling:

    • GraphQL can be useful for applications that have complex data structures, as it allows for more flexibility, better performance and better data handling capabilities.