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17 May 2023

REST Vs GRAPHQL | Difference | Comparison

REST is a software architecture stack that outlines a set of limits for developing web services, while graphQL is an application layer server-side technology that is used for running queries with existing data. So let us discuss the difference between REST and GraphQL to better understand this topic.

REST Vs GRAPHQL | Difference between REST and GRAPHQL

  • REST is a software architecture style that defines a set of constraints for creating web services, GraphQL is an application layer server-side technology that is developed by Facebook for executing queries with existing data.
  • REST is a large community, and GraphQL is a growing community.
  • While graphQL has a client-driven architecture, REST has a server-driven architecture.
  • REST can be arranged in terms of endpoints, and GraphQL can be organized in terms of a schema.
  • The development speed in REST is slow, The development speed in graphQL is fast.
  • The learning curve in REST is moderate, The learning curve in graphQL is difficult.
  • The endpoints you call in REST are the identity of an object, The identity is separated from how you fetch it.
  • REST is hard to get consistency across all platforms, GraphQL provides high consistency across all platforms.
  • The shape and size of the resource are determined by the server in REST, In GraphQL, the server determines available resources.
  • For REST mutations, the message format is completely flexible. For graphQL mutations, the message format is a string.
  • REST is weakly typed. GraphQL is strongly typed.
  • While GraphQL API endpoints are singular, REST API endpoints are many
  • REST does not have machine-readable metadata cacheable, GraphQL uses metadata for query validation.
  • REST is difficult to get consistency across all operating systems, GraphQL provides consistent and high-quality UX across all operating systems.
  • REST offers flexible public API that can easily enable new applications, Partners of GraphQL require API customization. 
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