In modern web development, APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) play a crucial role, defining how clients and servers interact, the ease of integration between various services, as well as the performance and scalability of applications. Among the most widely adopted approaches to API design today are REST and GraphQL. Despite the actively growing popularity of GraphQL, many companies are again giving preference to the classic REST approach. To understand the reasons behind these shifts, it’s essential to explore the theoretical foundations and differences between the two approaches.
REST and GraphQL: a theoretical overview
REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural approach to designing web services, based on exchanging data through standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). REST revolves around the concept of a “resource,” defined as any entity or information accessible via a unique URL. The key advantages of REST include simplicity, clearly structured requests and responses, and high predictability of system behavior.
GraphQL is a query language and runtime environment developed by Facebook to address the issue of data redundancy that can occur when using REST. Unlike REST, GraphQL allows clients to retrieve precisely the data they need within a single request, potentially reducing the volume of transmitted data and lowering network resource consumption. At the same time, the more complex and flexible data model of GraphQL can lead to additional server-side calls, which can sometimes negatively affect the performance and security of systems, especially in scenarios involving large volumes of data and intricate, interrelated queries.
Why companies choose GraphQL and why this choice doesn’t always pay off
At first glance, GraphQL appears to be an ideal solution for many tasks in modern development. Developers and companies are attracted by its capability to selectively query data, retrieving only the exact information needed by the client at a given moment. As a result, the number of server requests is reduced, as is the amount of transmitted data, which is especially valuable for mobile applications and high-load environments.
However, in practice, the situation is not always as straightforward. Companies adopting GraphQL often face entirely new challenges:
Complexity in maintenance and ongoing development. The initial apparent flexibility turns into a necessity to design and maintain complicated schemas and resolver functions. These gradually become more intricate and require additional efforts from developers. The richer and more complex the data structure, the higher the likelihood that seemingly simple solutions will become time-consuming and costly.
Security risks and vulnerabilities. The flexibility offered by GraphQL also introduces hidden risks. Complex queries with deeply nested data can be exploited by malicious actors to execute DDoS attacks, overwhelming the server with requests and making the service unavailable. Addressing this vulnerability often demands implementing strict limitations, partially negating the advantages of GraphQL.
Performance and scalability issues. Despite GraphQL’s ability to reduce the volume of transmitted data, it does not always handle performance effectively when executing deeply nested and interrelated queries. Queries involving multiple related entities lead to numerous database requests, significantly increasing server load, slowing down system responses, and degrading user experience.
Thus, despite GraphQL’s evident strengths, its adoption requires a carefully considered approach and thorough evaluation of all potential risks and limitations.
Why we chose REST API for OneEntry
When designing the OneEntry cloud platform, we chose to adopt a REST API architecture. This decision was deliberate, guided by practical experience and a deep understanding of the real-world tasks and challenges faced by developers. REST API offers clarity, structured communication, and simplicity of integration, greatly facilitating team workflows at every stage: from initial development to ongoing application support.
Ease of integration
The REST API in the OneEntry platform was designed according to contemporary industry standards and best practices, enabling quick integration into existing projects and allowing productive work to begin virtually from the first minute:
fetch('https://project_name.oneentry.cloud/api/content/pages/url/home', {
method: 'GET',
headers: { 'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' }
}).then(response => response.json())
.then(user => console.log(user));
Detailed documentation is available here.
Security and control
REST API allows development teams to transparently manage data access and request structure, providing an additional layer of security. Clearly defined resource endpoints minimize the risks of unexpected load spikes and attacks that often occur when working with more flexible and less controlled query schemas such as GraphQL.
Performance and stability
One of REST’s strengths is its predictability, which enables developers to accurately forecast system load and performance in advance. As a result, application stability is maintained even under high workloads and numerous requests. This approach prevents unexpected performance drops that can occur when handling complex, interconnected queries found in alternative methods like GraphQL.
Flexible SDKs for comfortable development
Another advantage of using REST is the availability of ready-made tools such as SDKs (Software Development Kits). OneEntry provides specialized SDKs for different technology stacks, simplifying and speeding up API integration:
- JavaScript SDK – designed for efficient web application development.
- Kotlin Multiplatform SDK – allows quick and reliable creation of mobile and multiplatform applications.
Using SDKs reduces the time required for API integration, significantly lowers the likelihood of errors, and simplifies long-term application maintenance.
REST and GraphQL in 2024–2025: A Modern Overview
It is important to examine how REST and GraphQL are currently used in professional environments, based on recent discussions and research, without exaggeration or promotional bias.
1. Developer Opinions
Developer communities continue actively discussing both approaches:
On Reddit, participants highlight that GraphQL is genuinely convenient for frontend development, though it requires additional effort on the backend:
“The only thing I can see is that GraphQL … just makes some of the overhead go away so that implementation is easier… GraphQL may add more overhead than you want.”
(Source: Konfigthis.com)
Voices regularly emerge in favor of REST as well:
“REST is great… performance is pretty important, so I will just as soon write raw SQL… if that means I can make the request a single transaction that returns in 30 ms.”
(Source: Reddit.com)
2. Industry Research Findings
- Results from the Hygraph GraphQL Survey 2024 show that large teams using GraphQL often face challenges related to scaling and security. This has driven the need for additional improvements such as DataLoader implementations, query depth limitations, and other restrictions.
- Recent protocol comparisons (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) indicate that GraphQL processes requests more slowly and demands more computational resources. REST remains a universal and fast solution (Arxiv.org).
3. Practical Usage Insights
- REST remains a popular and reliable approach, especially where simplicity, stability, and predictability are critical. According to Gartner data, REST is utilized by 85% of organizations compared to 19% for GraphQL (The New Stack).
- GraphQL is the preferred choice for projects with dynamic frontends, requiring flexible data retrieval and optimized queries. However, effectively adopting GraphQL often requires additional investment in infrastructure, security, and monitoring.
Today, both REST and GraphQL remain relevant and useful. They shouldn’t be viewed purely from a competitive standpoint; rather, they are complementary tools, each effective within specific use-case scenarios. Companies should carefully approach their choice, guided by the unique requirements of the project and the tasks facing their teams.
Conclusion
Despite the undeniable advantages and flexibility of GraphQL, REST APIs often prove to be a more suitable solution in many scenarios due to their predictability, simplicity, and clearly structured queries. Ultimately, the choice of approach always depends on the specifics of the individual project and the goals set by the development team.
If you’d like to explore the practical aspects of using REST APIs in more detail, we recommend reviewing the documentation below:
Thank you for your attention!
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