Why Developers Are Moving from REST to GraphQL

If you have built or worked with web apps, you have most likely used REST APIs. They are very common and widely used. They work well.

But in recent years, many teams have started using something called GraphQL, and they are not going back.

This blog explains why. What problems REST has, how GraphQL fixes them, why developers like it, and when you should still use REST.

REST works well at the beginning. But when your app becomes more complex, you start facing some common problems that many developers experience.

Problem #1: Over-fetching. You request only a user’s name. But the API sends back name, email, address, phone number, settings, subscription details, and many other fields you don’t need. This sends too much data and can slow down your app.

Problem #2: Under-fetching. You want to show a user profile with posts and comments. But one API gives only the user, another gives posts, and another gives comments. So you have to make multiple requests to get everything.

For small apps, this is not a big issue. But for large apps, mobile users, or slow internet connections, this can become a serious performance problem.

GraphQL was created at Facebook in 2012. They had millions of users using slow mobile networks and a very complex data system, and REST was not working well for them. So they created a new solution.

The main idea is simple: instead of the server deciding what data to send, the client decides what it needs.

With GraphQL, there is only one endpoint /graphql and you send a query with exactly the fields you want. The server sends back only that data. No extra data and nothing missing.

GraphQL was created at Facebook in 2012. They had many users on slow mobile networks and complex data, and REST was not enough. So they created something new.

The main idea is simple: the client decides what data it needs, not the server.

With GraphQL, there is only one endpoint /graphql. You send a query with exactly the fields you want, and the server returns only that data.

GET /users/42
GET /users/42/posts
GET /posts/7/comments

// returns all fields
// even ones you do not need

query {
  user(id: 42) {
    name
    posts {
      title
      comments {
        text
      }
    }
  }
}

GraphQL can do the same work in one request, and you only get the data you asked for.

GraphQL also improves how developers work using something called a schema.

The schema defines all data types and fields clearly. Because of this, tools can show live documentation and help developers explore the API easily.

Frontend and backend developers can work independently without confusion.

GraphQL is great, but not always the best choice.

Use REST if your app is simple, needs caching, or has basic data.

Use GraphQL if your app has complex data, multiple frontends, or needs better performance.

GraphQL does not replace REST. It solves problems REST was not designed for.

Choose the right tool based on your needs.