What is GraphQL

Source: Dev.to

Overview

• Developed by Facebook
• A query language for APIs
• User‑friendly because the data format of API requests and responses are similar
• REST is an architecture (design), while GraphQL is a language (DSL)

REST Example

Send requests to endpoints using HTTP verbs:

curl https://api.bmf-tech.com/v1/configs

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "title",
    "alias_name": "Title",
    "value": "bmf-tech",
    "created_at": "2017-09-25 23:08:23",
    "deleted_at": null
  }
]

GraphQL Example

Send queries to a single endpoint:

curl https://api.bmf-tech.com/api

{
  configs {
    id
    name
    alias_name
    value
    created_at
    updated_at
    deleted_at
  }
}

[
  {
    "id": 1,
    "name": "title",
    "alias_name": "Title",
    "value": "bmf-tech",
    "created_at": "2017-09-25 23:08:23",
    "deleted_at": null
  }
]

Comparison Summary

Practical Considerations

• Load Calculation: With GraphQL you often need methods for load calculation (e.g., based on the number of objects returned).
• Documentation: GraphQL’s schema acts as a self‑documenting API; explicit external docs are less critical.
• Libraries: Implementations typically require libraries for parsing queries.
• Performance: Not inherently faster than REST; benefits come from reduced round‑trips.
• Data Volume: Both approaches need pagination or field selection to control payload size.
• Monitoring: Since GraphQL uses a single endpoint, additional tooling may be needed to track query‑level performance.
• Caching: Standard HTTP caching is not applicable; alternative caching strategies should be explored.

When to Consider GraphQL

• Applications with many components and complex UIs where the number of requests becomes a bottleneck.
• Situations where clients need to fetch varied data shapes without multiple round‑trips.

Resources

• graphql.org – Official GraphQL documentation
• facebook/graphql RFCs – Specification and proposals
• “A small rebuttal to What is GraphQL suitable for” – Discussion on use‑cases
• “Memo when implementing GraphQL API in a Rails app” – Practical implementation notes
• “Explaining GraphQL from a beginner’s perspective” – Introductory guide comparing REST and GraphQL