REST API vs GraphQL is a client-and-team decision. REST is simple to cache and reason about; GraphQL shines when many clients need tailored payloads — at the cost of complexity.
REST strengths
- HTTP caching and CDN friendliness
- Easy to understand for most engineers
- Great for public APIs and webhooks
- Straightforward rate limiting per resource
GraphQL strengths
- Clients request exactly the fields they need
- Fewer round-trips for complex screens
- Strong typing with schemas
- Useful for mobile apps with varied views
Costs teams underestimate with GraphQL
AuthZ per field, query cost analysis, caching and N+1 resolvers. If your team is small, REST + well-designed DTOs often ships faster via API development.
Hybrid patterns
- REST for public/partner APIs
- GraphQL BFF for your first-party mobile/web
- Avoid dual writes of business logic in both
REST-vs-GraphQL decision checklist
- How many distinct clients and screens?
- Do you have GraphQL expertise in-house?
- Is CDN caching critical?
- Will partners consume the API?
Design the API contract first
Book a call and we will propose REST, GraphQL or BFF based on your clients.