REST vs GraphQL in Practice

The Real Trade-offs

After building APIs with both REST and GraphQL, I've learned that the choice isn't about which is "better" but which fits your specific constraints. Here's what matters in practice, not in theory.

REST: The Workhorse

REST is predictable. You have endpoints, you get resources. It's easy to cache, easy to debug, and every tooling ecosystem supports it out of the box.

When REST shines

• Public APIs where you want clear versioning and stable contracts
• Simple CRUD apps where resources map directly to database tables
• Caching matters (CDN, HTTP caching)
• Teams that value simplicity over flexibility

The pain points

Over-fetching and under-fetching are real. A mobile app might need user + posts + comments, and you either make three requests or build a custom endpoint that becomes a maintenance burden.

// REST: three round trips
const user = await fetch('/users/1');
const posts = await fetch('/users/1/posts');
const comments = await fetch('/posts/1/comments');

GraphQL: The Flexible Alternative

GraphQL gives clients exactly what they ask for. One request, nested data, no over-fetching. The schema is self-documenting, and tooling like GraphiQL makes exploration easy.

When GraphQL shines

• Mobile apps with limited bandwidth and need for precise data
• Aggregating multiple services into one API layer
• Rapid iteration where frontend needs change often
• Complex relationships between entities

query {
  user(id: 1) {
    name
    posts {
      title
      comments { text }
    }
  }
}

The hidden costs

GraphQL shifts complexity to the server. You need to handle N+1 queries, caching is harder, and the flexible queries can be abused by clients.

// N+1 problem: naive resolver
const resolvers = {
  User: {
    posts: (parent) => db.posts.findByUserId(parent.id) // fires per user
  }
}

// Solution: DataLoader batching
const postsLoader = new DataLoader(ids => batchFetchPosts(ids));

My Decision Framework

I ask these questions before choosing:

1. Who consumes the API? Internal apps with varying needs? GraphQL. Public, fixed consumers? REST.
2. How important is caching? If you need CDN-level caching, REST wins easily.
3. How complex is the data graph? Simple resources: REST. Deeply nested relationships: GraphQL.
4. Team experience? If the team knows REST well and doesn't want to learn new concepts, stick with it.

Hybrid Approach

You don't have to go all-in. I've seen successful systems that expose a REST API for simple CRUD and a GraphQL endpoint for complex queries. This gives you the best of both worlds but doubles maintenance.

Practical Tips

If you choose GraphQL:

• Use DataLoader to avoid N+1 queries
• Implement query complexity limits to prevent expensive queries
• Consider persisted queries for production performance

If you choose REST:

• Design endpoints around resources, not actions
• Use HTTP status codes properly
• Version your API from day one

The Verdict

There's no universal winner. I've built production systems with both. REST is boring, reliable, and works. GraphQL is powerful, flexible, and demands more discipline. Choose based on your actual constraints, not hype.

For most small to medium projects, REST is perfectly fine. For complex, data-heavy applications with multiple clients, GraphQL can save you time in the long run. And remember, you can always start with REST and add GraphQL later if needed.