GraphQL vs REST: Differences, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Introduction

Choosing between GraphQL and REST for APIs is a critical decision. Both are popular architectures for client–server communication, but they have distinct characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. This article highlights the key differences, pros and cons, and guidance on when to use each.

What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style widely used for building APIs. It relies on HTTP semantics and resource-based URLs.

Key features of REST:

• Based on HTTP and its standard methods: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
• Resources are identified by URLs
• Responses are typically JSON (others like XML are possible)

Examples of RESTful endpoints:

• GET /users – Returns a list of users
• GET /users/{id} – Returns a specific user
• POST /users – Creates a new user

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is a query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need—no more, no less. It typically exposes a single endpoint (e.g., /graphql) and uses a strongly typed schema.

Key features of GraphQL:

• Single endpoint with typed schema on the server
• Supports Queries (read) and Mutations (write)
• Client defines the response shape

Example GraphQL query:

query {
  product(id: "1") {
    id
    name
    price
    ean
  }
}

Differences Between GraphQL and REST

• Data shaping: GraphQL lets clients specify fields; REST returns server-defined representations
• Endpoints: GraphQL uses one endpoint; REST uses multiple resource endpoints
• Over/under‑fetching: GraphQL minimizes both; REST can suffer from both in complex UIs
• Caching: REST benefits from native HTTP caching; GraphQL needs custom strategies
• Typing and introspection: Built‑in for GraphQL; optional/implicit for REST

Advantages and Disadvantages

REST

Advantages:

• Simplicity and standardization
• Well documented and widely adopted
• Works naturally with HTTP caching (ETag, Cache‑Control)

Disadvantages:

• Over‑fetching and under‑fetching on complex views
• Versioning can complicate maintenance
• Less flexible for dynamic, nested data requirements

GraphQL

Advantages:

• Clients request exactly what they need
• Reduces over/under‑fetching
• Ideal for complex, interrelated data and multiple backends

Disadvantages:

• Steeper learning curve and tooling setup
• Can be overkill for simple APIs
• Native HTTP caching is harder; requires different patterns

When to Use REST or GraphQL?

Use REST when:

• The API is simple and requirements are stable
• You rely heavily on standard HTTP caching and CDNs
• Resource-based modeling fits naturally

Use GraphQL when:

• Clients (web/mobile) need highly specific, nested data
• You aggregate data from multiple services
• You want to evolve the API quickly without versioning

Conclusion

Both GraphQL and REST have strong use cases. Your choice should reflect product needs, data complexity, team expertise, and operational constraints. Understanding their differences helps you design APIs that are efficient, maintainable, and scalable.