GraphQL vs. REST: Which API is Best for 2025?

Meet Partha – A Confused Developer

Partha is a junior developer working on his first big JS project. His team needs an API, but he is in a problem for taking a tough decision: GraphQL or REST? He searches online a lot and finds different opinions from different online masters. Some say GraphQL is better, while others taking REST. But which one is best for his project in 2025? Let’s help Partha to decide!

What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a traditional API style that follows a fixed set of rules. It uses HTTP methods like:

• GET – Fetch data
• POST – Send new data
• PUT – Update existing data
• DELETE – Remove data

Pros of REST:

• ✅ Simple and widely used
• ✅ Works well with caching
• ✅ Easier to implement for small apps
• ✅ Many tools and libraries available
• ✅ Well-documented and supported

Cons of REST:

• ❌ Over-fetching data (getting more than needed)
• ❌ Under-fetching data (needing multiple requests)
• ❌ Can be slow for complex applications
• ❌ Requires creating multiple endpoints for different needs

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is a modern API that lets clients request exactly the data they need. It was created by Facebook and is now used by big companies like GitHub and Shopify.

Pros of GraphQL:

• ✅ No over-fetching or under-fetching
• ✅ Fetch multiple resources in one request
• ✅ Strongly typed schema
• ✅ Great for real-time apps
• ✅ Flexible and efficient data fetching

Cons of GraphQL:

• ❌ More complex than REST
• ❌ Caching is harder
• ❌ Requires more setup
• ❌ Not as widely supported as REST

GraphQL vs. REST: Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	REST API	GraphQL
Data Fetching	Multiple requests needed	Single request fetches exactly what’s needed
Speed	Can be slow for large data	Faster for complex queries
Learning Curve	Easy for beginners	Harder to learn
Caching	Simple with HTTP cache	Requires custom caching
Flexibility	Fixed endpoints	Dynamic queries
Real-Time Support	Requires polling	Built-in subscriptions
Performance	Can be slow with large data sets	Optimized for complex data

When to Use REST or GraphQL

Use REST If:

• You need simple and easy-to-cache APIs
• Your project is small or medium-sized
• SEO matters (e.g., public APIs, blogs, social feeds)
• Your team is already experienced with REST
• You don’t need highly dynamic or real-time data

Use GraphQL If:

• Your app deals with complex relationships (e.g., social media, e-commerce)
• You want real-time updates
• Your API serves multiple frontends (mobile + web)
• You need faster and more flexible data fetching
• Your project requires fewer API calls with specific data needs

Case Study 1: How a Growing SaaS Startup Cut API Load by 50% with GraphQL

🛠 Company: TaskSync (a project management SaaS)
📌 Challenge: Slow dashboard performance due to multiple REST API calls
💡 Solution: Migrated from REST to GraphQL
📈 Result: API load reduced by 50%, and app speed doubled

The Challenge

Meet TaskSync, a project management tool helping teams stay productive. As their user base grew to 100,000+ teams, a serious problem emerged:

• ➡️The dashboard was painfully slow!
• ➡️ Mobile users faced even worse delays.
• ➡️ Developers had to maintain too many REST endpoints.

Here’s why:

Every time a user opened the dashboard, TaskSync’s frontend had to fetch:

• User profile details (1st API call)
• List of projects (2nd API call)
• Team members (3rd API call)
• Latest tasks and updates (4th & 5th API calls)

👎 5 separate REST API requests just to load the homepage!
👎 Average load time: 1.8 seconds

The GraphQL Solution

To fix this, TaskSync switched only the dashboard API to GraphQL while keeping REST for simpler endpoints.

Instead of making 5 separate API calls, the frontend now sent 1 GraphQL request:

query {
  user {
    id
    name
    projects {
      id
      name
      tasks {
        id
        title
        status
      }
    }
  }
}

The Results

🔥 Dashboard load time improved from 1.8s → 0.9s
🔥 API requests dropped from 5 to 1
🔥 50% lower backend load, improving server performance

📌 Reference: Learn more about GraphQL’s efficiency from the official docs: https://graphql.org/

🚀 Key Takeaway:

GraphQL worked perfectly for TaskSync’s complex dashboard, but they still kept REST for public APIs where caching mattered.

Case Study 2: Why an E-commerce Giant Switched Back to REST from GraphQL

🛍 Company: QuickCart (a top online marketplace)
⚠️ Challenge: High server costs & caching issues with GraphQL
🔄 Solution: Moved back to REST for most APIs
📉 Result: Server costs dropped by 40%, and page speed improved

The Problem with GraphQL at Scale

QuickCart, a fast-growing e-commerce platform, saw major challenges after migrating from REST to GraphQL:

• ❌ Dynamic queries overloaded the database – Some frontend requests were too complex, slowing down responses.
• ❌ Caching became a nightmare – Unlike REST, where responses are cacheable via CDNs, GraphQL queries were too dynamic for standard caching.
• ❌ Security concerns – Some poorly optimized GraphQL queries led to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks due to excessive data fetching.

The Solution: Moving Back to REST

The team reverted most APIs back to REST, while keeping GraphQL for internal microservices.

• ✅ CDN caching improved product page speeds
• ✅ Rate limiting and caching reduced API costs by 40%
• ✅ Security risks dropped with stricter REST-based rules

The Results

• 🚀 Product pages loaded 25% faster
• 🚀 Public API requests became more stable
• 🚀 Less server strain & lower cloud costs

📌 Reference: Learn why REST is still dominant in e-commerce from AWS API best practices: https://aws.amazon.com/api-gateway/

Real-World Examples

1. Twitter – Use REST API for Public Data

Why REST?

Think about when you’re scrolling through Twitter. Every tweet, retweet, and like is pulled through REST APIs. Why REST? It’s fast, simple, and works perfectly for public, static data—like tweets or user profiles. No need for fancy tricks here. REST gets the job done, fast and smooth, especially when you want to cache content for speed.

The takeaway:

REST is like a quick snack—easy to grab and satisfying when you don’t need anything complex.

2. GitHub – Use GraphQL for Getting Just What You Need

Why GraphQL?

If you’ve ever wanted to find a specific user’s repository on GitHub without scrolling through their entire profile, you’ve probably seen GraphQL at work. It lets you pull exactly the data you need with no extra effort. Whether it’s a single repo, the user’s contribution stats, or their followers, GraphQL delivers precisely what you ask for, and nothing more.

The takeaway:

GraphQL is perfect when you want only the essentials—like asking for one topping on your pizza, not the whole pie.

3. Facebook – Use GraphQL for Real-Time Data

Why GraphQL?

Facebook created GraphQL, so of course, they’re all-in. Every time you like a post or comment, the app fetches all that data instantly with GraphQL, making sure you don’t experience any delays. Instead of pinging different servers for each part of the data, GraphQL brings it all together in one request.

The takeaway:

GraphQL makes real-time updates a breeze, fetching everything you need in a single shot.

4. Netflix – Use REST for Stability, GraphQL for New Features

Why Both?

Netflix uses REST for the basic stuff, like streaming movies and managing user profiles. But when it comes to dynamic features like trending shows or new recommendations, they switch to GraphQL. GraphQL gives them the flexibility to fetch just the right data, no matter how complex.

The takeaway:

Netflix uses REST for stability and GraphQL for the cool, real-time features that keep you hooked on your binge-watching sessions.

5. Shopify – Use GraphQL for a Smooth Shopping Experience

Why GraphQL?

Shopify makes sure that when you’re shopping, you get exactly what you want—quickly. GraphQL helps them pull only the details you need about products, sizes, and availability, without bogging you down with unnecessary info. It’s quick and efficient, giving you a seamless shopping experience.

The takeaway:

GraphQL is great for e-commerce, where speed and precision are crucial, especially when dealing with large inventories.

6. Airbnb – Use REST for Listings, GraphQL for Bookings

Why Both?

Airbnb keeps it simple with REST for things like property listings. But when you want real-time booking info, availability updates, or pricing changes, GraphQL takes over. It ensures that as soon as you click to book, the system delivers fresh data instantly.

The takeaway:

Whether you’re browsing listings with REST or booking your dream getaway with GraphQL, Airbnb uses the best tool for the job.

Tips and Tricks

• 💡 Use both! Some projects combine REST and GraphQL to get the best of both.
• 💡 Test performance. If GraphQL slows down, try caching.
• 💡 Secure your API. Both need authentication and rate limits.
• 💡 Start small. If you’re new to GraphQL, implement it for just one part of your project first.
• 💡 Use API monitoring tools. Tools like Postman and GraphQL can help you debug and optimize queries.

Finally – Which API Should Partha Choose?

Partha’s project is a social media app with real-time updates. Since GraphQL works best for this, he decides to go with GraphQL! But for a simple blog or an e-commerce API, REST could have been the better choice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

GraphQL and REST both have strengths. Choosing the right one depends on your project needs. Which one do you prefer? Let us know in the comments! 🚀