REST vs GraphQL — What's the Difference?

REST models an API as a set of fixed-shape resources accessed via URLs; GraphQL exposes a single endpoint where clients specify exactly which fields they want in each query.

Why they differ

• REST often requires multiple round trips to gather related data (e.g. a user, then their posts), or over-fetches unused fields from a fixed response shape
• GraphQL lets a client request exactly the fields it needs in one request, avoiding both over-fetching and under-fetching

How to choose

• Choose REST for simpler APIs where resource shapes are stable and HTTP caching (via GET) is valuable
• Choose GraphQL when clients have very different data needs (e.g. web vs mobile) or when reducing round trips for deeply nested data matters
• GraphQL trades away some of HTTP's built-in caching semantics, which typically must be reimplemented at the application layer

FAQ

Is GraphQL always better than REST?

No — it adds complexity (a schema, resolvers, and often a client library) that isn't justified for simple, resource-shaped APIs where REST works fine.