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Discussion on: How is GraphQL different from the old days?

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Jordy Lee

Because raw SQL queries should never be performed on the client.
Of course you're right in that the data still has to be stored somewhere, but GraphQL is generally much more flexible and efficient, because from a single endpoint one can traverse an entire dataset from the client, rather than calling many REST APIs or using crazy query parameters.
GraphQL is also great for federating many different microservices which is common in modern apps.

I agree the downside of GraphQL is a steep learning curve and extra burden for Frontend developers. But the trade-off is more efficient network requests and theoretically reduced workload for backend devs