Rest vs Qraphql - AdarshTheki/mern-stack-learn GitHub Wiki

REST APIs ( Representational State Transfer)

REST API is an architectural style for designing networked applications. It's a lightweight, flexible, and scalable way to communicate between systems, allowing data exchange and manipulation.

• HTTP Methods:

  • GET (Retrieve resource)
  • POST (Create resource)
  • PUT (Update resource)
  • DELETE (Delete resource)
  • PATCH (Partial update resource)

• REST API Components:

  • Resource: Identified by URI (Uniform Resource Identifier)
  • Request: Client sends HTTP request to server
  • Response: Server sends HTTP response to client
  • Header: Metadata about request/response (e.g., authentication, content type)
  • Body: Payload of request/response (e.g., JSON data)

• REST API Status Codes:

  • 200 OK (successful request)
  • 404 Not Found (resource not found)
  • 401 Unauthorized (authentication failed)
  • 500 Internal Server Error (server error)

GraphQL (Graph Query Language)

GraphQL is a query language for APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that allows clients to specify exactly what data they need, reducing overhead and improving performance.

• Key Features:

  • Declarative queries
  • Strong typing
  • Schema-driven development
  • Query optimization
  • Real-time updates

• GraphQL Query Components:

  • Fields (specific data)
  • Types (data types)
  • Resolvers (functions retrieving data)
  • Queries (fetching data)
  • Mutations (modifying data)
  • Subscriptions (real-time updates)

GraphQL vs. REST:

	GraphQL	REST
Query structure	Declarative	Imperative
Data retrieval	Specific fields	Entire resource
API endpoints	Single endpoint	Multiple endpoints
Data types	Strongly typed	Weakly typed
Real-time updates	Native support	WebSockets or polling
Performance	Fast	Multiple network calls take up more time
Web caching	Uses web library	Inbuilt
File uploading	No	Yes