Technology Comparison

REST API vs GraphQL

REST organises the API into resources with one URL each, and every endpoint returns a fixed response shape. GraphQL exposes a single endpoint and a typed schema: the client asks for exactly the fields it needs and gets those, no more and no less. The practical difference shows when a screen needs data from three different resources: in REST that is three requests or an endpoint built for that screen; in GraphQL it is one query. In exchange, GraphQL moves complexity onto the server that REST does not have: caching, depth limits and controlling the cost of each query.

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Comparison

Head-to-head comparison

Criteria	REST API	GraphQL
HTTP caching	Native: every GET is cacheable by CDN and browser with no extra work	Manual: everything is a POST to one endpoint, caching is per query
Over and under-fetching	Common: the endpoint returns its fixed shape, too much or too little	Solved: the client declares the fields it wants
Requests per screen	Several, or an aggregate endpoint written for that view	One, even when it spans several resources
Cost of a query	Predictable: each endpoint has a known load	Variable: a nested query can take down the database if not limited
Contract and typing	External: OpenAPI, and it has to be kept in sync by hand	Built in: the schema is the contract and generates client types
Learning curve and tooling	Minimal: any team and any proxy understands it	Higher: resolvers, DataLoader and its own observability

Analysis

Pros and cons of each option

REST API

Pros

CDN caching works by itself, usually the cheapest optimisation available
Debuggable with curl and readable in any log or intermediate proxy
Predictable cost per endpoint: a client cannot ask for an expensive query

Cons

Each new screen tends to add its own aggregate endpoint
Mobile downloads fields it never renders, which shows on slow networks
Versioning ends with /v1 and /v2 coexisting longer than planned

GraphQL

Pros

One query per screen, even when the data comes from five tables
The schema generates client types, so a change breaks at compile time rather than in production
Adding fields breaks nobody: whoever does not ask for them does not get them

Cons

Depth and complexity must be limited, or a nested query takes down the database
The N+1 problem appears on its own and forces DataLoader in from the start
No HTTP caching: it has to be solved in the application layer

Decisión Guide

When to choose each option

01/
Choose
REST API
Choose REST if there is a single client and stable screens, if you rely on CDN caching to absorb traffic, or if the team maintaining the API has no GraphQL experience. Also if the API is public: it is what anyone integrating will expect.
02/
Choose
GraphQL
Choose GraphQL if several clients with different needs consume the same data — web, mobile and an internal dashboard —, if screens change often, or if you have already written three aggregate endpoints for three views. That is the sign the problem is data shape, not routes.

BePand

Our recommendation

At BePand most projects ship with REST over NestJS, because CDN caching and operational simplicity are worth more than saving requests when there is a single client. GraphQL comes in when the same backend feeds clients with different needs and the screens change often. Neither is an irreversible decision: GraphQL can be put in front of an existing REST API to migrate in stages.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about REST API vs GraphQL

Is GraphQL faster than REST?

In number of requests, yes: one query replaces several calls. In total time, it depends. REST with CDN caching answers in milliseconds without touching the database, which GraphQL does not get for free because everything is a POST to one endpoint. On slow mobile networks GraphQL wins; with heavy repeated traffic, cached REST wins.

Can I have both REST and GraphQL?

Yes, and it is the usual path during a migration. Both layers talk to the same domain services, so business logic is not duplicated. What should be decided early is which one is the public, supported interface: maintaining two public contracts indefinitely doubles the cost of every change.

What security risk does GraphQL add?

The main one is that the client controls the query shape. Without depth and complexity limits, a nested query can generate thousands of database hits from a single request. It is mitigated with cost analysis, maximum depth, persisted queries in production and disabling public introspection.

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