Lightweight APIs: REST, GraphQL, and Beyond
Lightweight APIs: REST, GraphQL, and Beyond APIs let apps talk to each other. When a design stays lightweight, teams move faster and users feel the difference in performance. This post compares REST, GraphQL, and a few practical alternatives, with tips to choose what fits your project. REST remains the everyday choice. It works with resources, HTTP verbs, and standard status codes. It plays well with caching, simple tooling, and clear documentation. A typical REST call looks like GET /users/42, returning JSON like { “id”: 42, “name”: “Alex” }. For writes you use POST, PUT, PATCH, or DELETE, guided by resource paths. REST shines when the API is stable, the data shape is predictable, and clients are varied. ...