GraphQL vs. REST — who will win?

When REST was already considered the standard for APIs, it appeared — GraphQL, the query language from Facebook that changed the approach to obtaining data. Let's figure out what it is and why many people like it more than REST.

📦 REST: a classic of the genre

REST uses rigidly defined endpoints:

• GET /users

• POST /users

• GET /users/:id

Each of them returns a fixed set of data, even if you only need one parameter.

🧠 GraphQL: maximum flexibility

GraphQL allows the client to choose for yourself, what fields it needs.

Request example:

query {
  user(id: 1) {
    name
    email
  }
}

The response will contain only the requested fields, not a byte of extra:

{
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "name": "Andrey",
      "email": "andrey@example.com"
    }
  }
}

🔍 GraphQL vs REST

✨ Benefits of GraphQL

⚠️ Disadvantages of GraphQL

• ❗ More difficult to cache

• ❗ Higher difficulty for beginners

• ❗ Not always justified for simple APIs

In the attachment Code you will find interesting courses. Everything is simple, step by step and with explanations.