The Developer's Guide to GraphQL vs. REST APIs

Introduction: The API Battle

REST has been the web standard for decades, but GraphQL has surged in popularity due to its flexibility. Let's compare their design principles and query models.

REST vs. GraphQL Core Differences

Over-fetching and Under-fetching

REST endpoints return fixed payloads, often leading to extra data transfer. GraphQL allows clients to query exactly the fields they need.

Request Roundtrips

GraphQL fetches nested relations in a single query, whereas REST often requires calling multiple endpoints consecutively.