[ 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 (𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐞𝐫) ]
⚠ Architectural Style, Not a Protocol.
REST is not a strict protocol, but rather a set of architectural principles outlined by Roy Fielding in his doctoral dissertation.
REST is a set of guidelines for structuring web APIs.
REST aims to be a simple and lightweight approach to API design.
◾ REST APIs are built around resources, with clear and hierarchical URLs for accessing them.
For example, /users/123 in a REST API would represent a user with ID 123.
HTTP at its Core.
◾ REST heavily leverages existing HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) to perform actions on resources.
GET - Retrieves a representation of a resource POST - Creates a new resource PUT - Updates an existing resource DELETE - Removes a resource
◾ One core principle of REST is statelessness. Each REST request is independent, and the server doesn't maintain client context between requests.
This aids scalability.
◾ REST responses should indicate whether they can be cached, improving performance for subsequent requests for the same data.
📌 If your API primarily deals with CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on straightforward individual resources, REST's resource-centric approach is a natural fit.
[ 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐐𝐋 ]
GraphQL is more than just a query language.
It's a runtime environment that allows clients to request specific data from a server using a flexible query language.
◾ GraphQL offers a specification for defining API schemas and a powerful query language for client-server communication.
◾ GraphQL views data as a graph of interconnected nodes (entities) and edges (relationships).
This allows fetching complex, nested data structures.
◾ Clients send GraphQL queries describing precisely the data they require.
◾ GraphQL enforces a strong type system through a schema that defines the capabilities of an API.
GraphQL's schema can be extended over time without breaking existing clients, provided you don't remove previously used fields.
📌 Use GraphQL when your application has a highly connected data model with various relationships. It can fetch nested data in a single request, which REST may require multiple round trips to achieve.
[ 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 ]
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REST and GraphQL can coexist within an application and are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
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REST often leads to over-fetching (more data than needed) or under-fetching (multiple requests). GraphQL minimizes these issues.
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GraphQL's flexibility can introduce a potential for slower query resolution on very complex backend systems if not carefully optimized.
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REST offers a simpler structure. GraphQL is more powerful but comes with a steeper learning curve.
