GraphQL vs REST vs SOAP vs gRPC

In the world of software development, mastering backend technologies like GraphQL, REST, SOAP, and gRPC is a big deal. These technologies help computers talk to each other, and each has its unique way of doing things. Understanding them is like having a superpower for building enterprise-level apps!

In this article, we are going to take a friendly tour of GraphQL, REST, SOAP, and gRPC. We’ll use easy-to-understand examples to show you how they work in real life. Whether you’re a tech pro or just curious about how stuff works behind the scenes, this comparison will give you a clear picture of what these technologies are all about. By the end of our journey, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to choose the right technology for your projects. So, get ready to dive into the world of backend technologies with us!

GraphQL

What is GraphQL?

GraphQL is an open-source data query and manipulation language for APIs and a query runtime engine. It was developed by Facebook in 2015. GraphQL is implemented in Java, JavaScript, Ruby, Scala, and others. Using GraphQL, a client can specify the exact data it wants from the API which exposes a single endpoint instead of multiple endpoints, and respond with the exact piece of information required. This feature helps improve client-side interaction as the client can make precise data requests and get exactly what is requested. GraphQL is used by Facebook. Github, Pinterest, Intuit, Coursera, etc.

Features of GraphQL

The features provided by GraphQL are:

• Declarative Data Fetching – GraphQL does not rely on multiple endpoints like REST. Using GraphQL, the client can precisely request what is needed and get a response with the required information only. It does not face the problem of over-fetching or under-fetching leading to an efficient and optimized data fetching mechanism.
• Strong Typing System – GraphQL comes with a strict typing system that enables developers to define a strict schema for their APIs. This helps in better collaboration, reducing ambiguity, and making the validation process easier.
• Batched Requests and Caching – Using GraphQL, a client can send multiple queries in a single request thus reducing the time to fetch the data. This feature is called batched requests and helps reduce latency. It also provides caching mechanisms that help optimize the application further.
• Error Handling – In the case of a wrong query or any error during the execution of a query, GraphQL provides detailed error messages to help address the error quickly.
• Real-time Data Updates – With subscriptions, GraphQL supports real-time data updates. It can be used for applications like live chat and collaborative tools.

Disadvantages of GraphQL

The disadvantages of using GraphQL are as follows:

• Learning Curve – Shifting from RESTful APIs to GraphQL is a bit difficult and learning about querying, mutations and subscriptions is a bit overwhelming.
• Complexity – GraphQL queries apart from being flexible are also a bit complex, and using these queries in situations with nested relationships may require a lot of planning and schema design to manage complexity.
• Potential Overfetching – Although GraphQL aims to provide precise data to the client and not encounter over-fetching, an unoptimized query by the client may lead to over-fetching.
• Infrastructure Compatibility – Integrating GraphQL into existing infrastructure and shifting from RESTful API to GraphQL might pose a problem and require a bit more of time and effort.
• Backend and Caching Complexity – Implementing a GraphQL server and caching mechanism is more complex than a RESTful API. Developers need to carefully design caching strategies and consider factors like query variability and cache invalidation.

Use of GraphQL

Following are the scenarios where GraphQL can be used:

• Data Fetching Control – GraphQL can be used when the client wants to control the amount and type of data it wants.
• Multiple Data Sources – GraphQL can be used to aggregate the data from multiple sources to a single endpoint.
• Saving Bandwidth – GraphQL can be used in applications where bandwidth is a concern as it fetches only the required data thus not wasting bandwidth on irrelevant information.
• Real-time Updates – The subscriptions feature of GraphQL is very helpful for applications requiring real-time data updates.
• Complex Relationships – Complex data relationships can be handled using GraphQL by traversing these relationships with a single query.

REST

What is REST?

Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style that defines a set of constraints to be used for creating web services. It allows applications across the internet to interact with each other using the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) requests. It uses URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) to identify all resources available on the web. Thus when a request is given to URI, the REST API gives all the information.

Features of REST

The features provided by RESTful APIs are:

• Client-Server Architecture – RESTful APIs use a client-server architecture where the client sends the request to the server and the server acts on the request and sends the response back to the client.
• Stateless – RESTful APIs are stateless. This means that the request sent by the client contains all the information to successfully process the request. No request relies on any other request for its processing.
• Caching – RESTful APIs provide a great way to reduce load on the server and reduce latency by caching the API responses on the client side. Thus, upon receiving continuous requests for the same resource, the load time is decreased.
• Layered System – By providing a layered system, the user connects through a single endpoint to the server and the server can connect to various backends. Thus, the backend configuration can change without affecting the client-server communication as a separate layer is present between the backend and the client.
• Uniform Interface – RESTful APIs provide uniformity across methods like GET, POST, PUT and DELETE and formats like JSON and XML for requests and responses. Thus, you can easily understand and work with the API using the standard formats.

Disadvantages of REST

The disadvantages of using RESTful APIs are as follows:

• Security – RESTful APIs do not provide any security protocols. Thus, it is a great option for public URLs but poses security issues for confidential data.
• Stateless – The stateless nature of RESTful API makes it unsuitable for applications like an e-commerce website where previous requests by the client play an important role in the execution of new requests.
• Multiple Requests – RESTful APIs are not good for data retrieval from multiple endpoints in a single request. So multiple requests have to be made to get the complete data.
• Network Dependence – Any changes to RESTful API can only be done if you’re connected to the web, unlike HTML web files.

Use of RESTful APIs

Following are the scenarios where RESTful APIs can be used:

• Stateless Applications – The stateless nature of REST API makes it suitable for cloud applications. This feature makes it extremely helpful during failures as it is easier to redeploy stateless applications.
• Simple Endpoints – REST APIs are suitable for applications that have simple endpoints and resources to connect to.
• HTTP Methods – REST API can be used if you want to use standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT and DELETE.
• Caching – Caching is one of the built-in features of REST API, thus it can be used with applications easily.

SOAP

What is SOAP?

SOAP or Simple Object Access Protocol is a messaging protocol used to communicate via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). SOAP provides more support towards the structure of request and response along with the message content and its encoding. It also supports various communication protocols like HTTP, SMTP, and TCP.

Features of SOAP

The features provided by SOAP APIs are:

• Protocol Independence – SOAP API supports various communication protocols across the internet making it protocol-independent for providing the necessary services.
• Language Independence – SOAP enables communication between applications with different programming languages.
• Platform and Operating System Independence – SOAP enables communication across applications on different platforms and operating systems.

Disadvantages of SOAP

The disadvantages of using SOAP APIs are as follows:

• Learning Curve – SOAP has a steep learning curve as you need to have knowledge of the communication protocols being used.
• Less Flexibility – The strict nature of SOAP makes updating requests and responses a difficult task.
• Bandwidth – While using XML documents with SOAP, a large bandwidth needs to be reserved due to the large size of XML files making the process slow.

Use of SOAP APIs

Following are the scenarios where SOAP APIs can be used:

• Bank transfer communication where multiple calls to different web services are involved.
• Applications where stateful operations are necessary.

gRPC

What is gRPC?

gRPC is generally a high-performance, open-source, universal RPC (Remote Procedure Call) framework initially developed by Google. It usually utilize HTTP/2 for transport and Protocol Buffers (protobuf) as the interface description language. gRPC typically provides features such as authentication, load balancing, and more, built-in as part of the framework.

Features of gRPC

The features provided by gRPC are:

• IDL-First Approach – gRPC generally uses Protocol Buffers (protobuf) as its Interface Definition Language (IDL) that simply allows for a contract-first approach to API development.
• Efficient Communication – gRPC also uses HTTP/2, that generally enables multiplexing of requests over a single connection, which simply reduces latency and improves efficiency.
• Bidirectional Streaming – gRPC supports bidirectional streaming, that basically allows both the client and server to send a stream of messages to each other.
• Language Agnostic – gRPC supports multiple programming languages which makes it accessible to a wide range of developers.
• Automatic Code Generation – gRPC automatically generates client and server code based on the defined protobuf service definitions which simply reduces boilerplate code.

Disadvantages of gRPC

The disadvantages of using gRPC are as follows:

• Complexity – The use of Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2 may introduce complexity, especially for developers who are unfamiliar with these technologies.
• Learning Curve – Developers generally need to learn Protocol Buffers and the gRPC framework, which may have a steeper learning curve compared to other RPC frameworks.

Use of gRPC

Following are the scenarios where gRPC can be used:

• Microservices Architecture – gRPC is very well-suited for communication between microservices in a distributed system due to its efficient communication and its support for bidirectional streaming.
• Performance-Critical Applications – gRPC’s use of HTTP/2 and efficient serialization with Protocol Buffers makes it suitable for performance-critical applications where low latency and high throughput are generally required.
• Polyglot Environments – gRPC’s support for multiple programming languages makes it a good choice for projects with a polyglot development environment.

Key Differences: GraphQL vs REST vs SOAP vs gRPC

Aspects	GraphQL	REST	SOAP	gRPC
Definition	GraphQL is a data query and manipulation language for APIs and a query runtime engine.	Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style that defines a set of constraints to be used for creating web services.	SOAP or Simple Object Access Protocol is a messaging protocol used to communicate via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Extensible Markup Language (XML).	gRPC is a High-performance, open-source, universal RPC framework.
Architecture	GraphQL follows a client-driven architecture.	REST follows a server-driven architecture.	SOAP API follows a SOAP architecture.	gRPC follows the Universal RPC framework.
Endpoints	GraphQL has a single URL endpoint.	REST has multiple endpoint URLs to define the resource.	SOAP has two main types of endpoints i.e. Service endpoint and Binding endpoint.	n/a (gRPC uses method calls instead of endpoints).
Response Schema	The response provided by GraphQL can follow any schema provided by the client.	REST response follows a strict schema structure defined by the server.	The response follows the XML schema structure.	It uses the Protocol Buffers schema for response.
Data Structuring	GraphQL is strongly typed.	REST is weakly typed.	SOAP is strongly typed.	gRPC is strongly typed.
Error Handling	Invalid requests are rejected by GraphQL and are not executed.	REST does not perform error checking thus client needs to validate the results.	SOAP provides error handling using SOAP faults.	n/a (method calls are used)
Learning Curve	GraphQL has a difficult learning curve.	REST is not that difficult to learn as compared to GraphQL.	SOAP has a difficult learning curve.	gRPC has a moderate learning curve.
Caching	GraphQL does not provide any caching functionality.	REST automatically puts caching into effect.	SOAP does not provide any in-built caching strategy.	gRPC generally has no built-in caching.
Resource	GraphQL only declares the available resources.	In REST, the server determines the shape and size of the resources.	Resources are represented as operations exposed by web services	n/a (uses method calls).

Conclusion

In conclusion, GraphQL, REST, SOAP, and gRPC provide their own set of features, advantages, disadvantages and applications. In simpler words, they are just different ways to send data over HTTP calls. The declarative data fetching, batched requests, and real-time updates of GraphQL make it suitable for applications with data fetching control, complex relationships, and saving bandwidth. The client-server architecture model, caching, and the stateless features of REST make it a suitable choice for cloud services. The independence provided by SOAP is also very beneficial. gRPC’s high-performance and bidirectional streaming make it suitable for microservices and performance-critical applications. So, the choice depends upon the type of your application and its future scalability options.