GraphQL is a data query and manipulation language. Data overhead is low in GraphQL as it is a query-driven standardized API format hence it is much faster and offers lower latency than the restful APIs.
The use case of GraphQL is when the precise and targeted data needs to be retrieved at a faster pace.GraphQL is a query runtime engine and needs both the GraphQL client and GraphQL server to execute queries.
NOTE: Over-fetching data is absent in GraphQL, GraphQL will only fetch the right amount of data, nothing more or less. (Over-fetching data is a common problem with RESTFUL APIs) .
GraphQL is JSON-based, all the GraphQL communication will be carried out via JSON format.GraphQL doesn’t use endpoints like restful clients, hence it is considered more secure and consumes fewer resources, it is good for data retrievals but for data updates (mutation) it is not considered a viable option.
GraphQL is a viable option for reading but for the high number of writes it is better to go for restful APIs hence it is very important to analyze the read-to-write ratio if the application is read-heavy then GraphQL is a good option but for the write-heavy system, it is better to opt for RESTFUL APIs.
GraphQL is leveraged for declarative data fetching, clients precise data retrieval requirements are executed via query. GraphQL engine can fetch data from multiple data sources and present it in the graph data structure, this is a use case that makes graph QL stand tall in semi-structured data retrieval
Open API doesn’t support GraphQL for now, maybe a few years down the line it can be implemented, but for now majority of the open API implementations is restful.
GraphQL supports the following set of data ops :
1) Reading data sets
2) writing data sets (mutation)
3) subscription to data changes
GraphQL schema definition is based upon type and field, schema can have a higher learning curve for the average user but once the user gets used to it, it is a very quick and precise data capturing mechanism that can be executed at higher speed and lowest overhead.
The original author of GraphQL is Facebook which was initially launched in 2015, very new API technology compared to restful and soap. GraphQL is implemented in Java, Javascript, Ruby, and Scala. Visit the official website for documentation and implementation details.
Diagram
The article above is rendered by integrating outputs of 1 HUMAN AGENT & 3 AI AGENTS, an amalgamation of HGI and AI to serve technology education globally.