REST vs. GraphQL API for modern online stores
When to choose which approach and what the impact on performance and development is.
Both REST and GraphQL are mature approaches to building APIs and both have their place in e-commerce. The choice should not be a question of fashion, but of the project's concrete needs.
REST is simple, easily cacheable and proven. For stable, clearly defined resources (orders, products, customers) it is often the most pragmatic choice with minimal overhead.
GraphQL excels where the client needs to flexibly combine data and avoid over-fetching — typically rich frontends and mobile apps that pull various shapes of data.
The impact on performance is not clear-cut. GraphQL simplifies the client but moves complexity to the server (solving N+1 queries, caching). REST in turn sometimes requires more calls.
Our recommendation: decide by context — who consumes the API, how often requirements change and what the performance goals are. Often the right answer is a sensible combination of both.
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