REST vs GraphQL: Exploring the Future of Web Services Development

With the advent of technology, businesses make every possible effort to stay ahead of their competitors. Modernizing legacy systems is the sure-shot solution to success.

To stand tall, businesses should opt for open-source technologies for developing web services. The most preferred technologies for creating API designs are REST and GraphQL. As technologies evolve, the need to drop legacy technologies becomes imperative.

REST and GraphQL provide flexibility towards loosely coupled mechanisms. It means that client-side logic is separated from the server-side logic. Whereas earlier, client-side and server-side logic were tightly bound to one another.

Let’s dive into the blog to see what the future of REST and GraphQL is like.

Conquer API designing with REST and GraphQL

A lot of strategizing is required to change the entire game plan of your business. Eliminating the old technologies and adopting the new ones can help you gain leverage over your competitors. The right choice of API architecture design can help you develop a new software interface with less difficulty.

Here’s how businesses can benefit from using REST and GraphQL for designing their APIs-

REST

• Scalability – Scalability means how many users can access your application without system failures. As REST APIs are lightweight, response APIs send raw data in JSON, XML format. However, JSON is the most adopted format. This means you can meet the demand without spending on a bigger resource pool.
• Cost Effectiveness – REST APIs bring significant cost benefits. You need not invest in external hardware. It helps you save time, ensures better performance, supports multiple platforms and enables collaboration between teams.
• Client-Server Autonomy – The client and server work independently in the REST API system. They work using different tech stacks meaning the client doesn’t know about business logic and the server has no idea about the user interface. The separation of responsibilities means that API providers and API consumers can be modified, and it will not have any effect on their communication.
• Stateless Interactions – REST API treats each request independently and doesn’t store any information related to previous sessions. It does not deal with the server-side state synchronization logic. Another advantage of being stateless is that it improves the performance of an application and reduces the risk of failure.

GraphQL

• Application Efficiency – Building an API using GraphQL leads to efficient design which in turn leads to great speed. Speed is highly correlated to software engagement and the customers need not wait around for their requests to be fulfilled. It is also a major factor in SEO for websites and apps.
• Feature Turnaround – GraphQL lets you add new features as per your need. It lets you ensure backward compatibility.
• Developer Output – GraphQL ensures less time in writing and adjusting documentation with its self-documenting nature. The documents are ready as soon as the code is written. This frees up developers’ time which can be allocated towards growing and improving the application.
• Code Sharing – In GraphQL, fields used in multiple queries can be shared for reuse. This allows you to get different data while keeping the same schema field.

What does the future of these open-source technologies seem like?

Future of REST and GraphQL

This section will help you discover why businesses are choosing these technologies for web development. Read on to know when you can use these technologies:

REST –

It is based on a set of principles for designing web services that use HTTP for communication. The use cases for REST include –

• Integrating Systems – REST can be used to integrate different systems and applications. The integrated systems can communicate with each other and share data. This makes it easier to build complex applications that require data from multiple sources.
• Creating Microservices – REST can be used to create microservices. This allows developers to create applications that are highly scalable, resilient, and flexible.
• Building Single-Page Applications – REST can be used to build single-page applications for better user experience. It helps you load data asynchronously and update the user interface dynamically. This makes it easier to create fast and responsive web applications.

GraphQL –

It is an excellent solution to a problem around building and consuming API. The use cases for GraphQL include-

• Data fetching control – GraphQL allows the client to ask for the data it needs and sends the data as requested by the client.
• Using multiple data sources – GraphQL simplifies the data from multiple sources or APIs and resolves the data to the client in a single call.
• Rapid Prototyping – GraphQL exposes a single endpoint and allows easy access to multiple resources. It does not have any impact on the server.

Both REST and GraphQL have their own advantages and disadvantages. Businesses must adopt these technologies to stay competitive and ever-growing!

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