

The pliability of GraphQL is one of its biggest benefits. Their decision was based upon the flexibility of GraphQL's technology to make data more accessible regardless of where it's stored. In 2019, Netflix, the world's largest streaming service, decided to program using GraphQL over REST and Falcor, an open source Java library that Netflix developed. GraphQL works for front-end and back-end development Lastly, REST's uniform interface means that no matter what kind of device or application, the resource in need of data from the server should have a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) to fetch the desired information. The functionality of one layer, or system, works off another to handle aspects of the API response, keeping the client blind to which server it's communicating with. Every request sent by the client is just that-an isolated request.Īn additional constraint of RESTful APIs is its layered system architecture (e.g., authentication, persistence layer, load balancing, proxy, etc.). Additionally, the client and server must be able to evolve independently of one another. This concept, known as stateless, means the session data between them isn't tracked. It's the server's job to declare whether the response is cacheable or not and for how long it should be stored.Īnother major constraint in a RESTful API design is the separation of client and server concerns. Computed resources should be cached (or temporarily stored) for better performance and stability. Cacheability is a constraint to keep in mind. In a RESTful architecture, the client and server must follow a definitive set of constraints in their interactions with each other. The purpose of this article is to expound upon the basics of GraphQL compared to REST to supplement your understanding of the major differences between the two and explain why GraphQL's popularity is on the rise.
Graphql as a universal database abstraction software#
I've also incorporated developer insights and feedback from Rajoshi Ghosh, co-founder of Hasura.io, Praveen Durairaju, a senior developer advocate at Hasura.io, and Joel Myers, a senior software engineer at Red Hat. In addition, I've included individual contributions from Zach Lendon, director of application development at AIM Consulting and co-author of this article. This article will explain some of the benefits of using GraphQL, including some tradeoffs and a few use cases from Netflix and Facebook. Streamlining DevOps in hybrid, multi-cloud, on-premises, and edge environments.However popular, the open source technology created by Facebook in 2012 should not be thought of as a replacement for REST but as a welcome alternative. While GraphQL is not perfect, its popularity is rising, and it's gaining more traction for a reason. But as times have changed, so has the way data is managed-and along came GraphQL. RESTful API design set the stage for stateless servers, better access to resources, and more efficient data retrieval. Then came representational state transfer (REST), an architectural style coined by Roy Fielding in his PhD dissertation in 2000. Once upon a time, Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), the process of sending and receiving messages from one application to another using HTTP, was the standard for data transmission. API design is, in fact, far more complex than it used to be. But there are a few factors to consider when choosing the best method for moving information across systems. What works for one organization's needs may not serve another's needs in the same way. There is no right kind of architecture for data exchange.
