In this article we are going to discuss “What is GraphQL?” to help you get an idea of some of the key concepts, advantages, and future implications.
We are also going to cover the limitations and challenges with traditional REST APIs and how GraphQL overcomes them.
Let’s get started and first look at REST and its limitations.
Before diving into GraphQL, it's crucial to recognise the limitations of traditional REST APIs. REST, while widely used, faces challenges.
These challenges include over-fetching and under-fetching of data (getting too much or too little data), inflexibility in data retrieval (no way to pick and choose data), difficulties in versioning and evolution (URL or header versioning).
To overcome these limitations, a more efficient and flexible approach is needed.
Enter GraphQL, a query language designed to streamline data fetching and provide a superior API development experience.
Next, let’s look at how GraphQL addresses the limitations of REST.
GraphQL is a query language and runtime that addresses the inefficiencies of REST.
With GraphQL, clients specify the exact data they need in a single request, eliminating over-fetching and under-fetching.