Hi friends! As you know, Drupal is a robust and progressive solution for building websites and applications. Projects of different complexity may be developed on this CMS. Drupal developers can use additional solutions: GraphQL and REST to expand the possibilities.
Meanwhile, beginners in web development often question: Which of these two solutions is the top, how do they differ, and what can be achieved with them? Let’s take a closer look and compare to find the answer.
This article aims to show the opportunities that exist with GraphQL and REST.  And, of course, in what situations they can be used in Drupal. 

GraphQL and REST: General Overview

GraphQL and REST are modern and effective approaches to API development. They both are actively useful in integrating Drupal CMS. Guess what? GraphQL and REST have pros and cons that directly influence their popularity and demand among developers. 
REST is an acronym for Representational State Transfer. It is a unique architectural design for creating quality APIs, relying on HTTP requests and standard methods. GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE are some examples. REST is one of the most useful options for building web applications. Mainly because it simplifies data transitioning between servers and clients.
GraphQL is a query language for APIs developed by Facebook. Clients use GraphQL to get only the necessary information. It offers flexible features for efficient data handling. 
To compare, REST web services are straightforward, while GraphQL has given developers the power to request and control the output in any manner and provides advanced solutions.

What is GraphQL and How Does It Work?

Let`s start with GraphQL. It is a very flexible and powerful query language. GraphQL is used when the user requests some specific information and nothing else. So, queries eliminate inefficient and redundant responses from the server. Facebook developed this approach to improve server-client communication and to interact more smoothly with the API. 
The greatest thing about GraphQL is that the client controls the query and asks just for necessary data. The less information transmitted, the better the quality of the response and the faster the performance. You'll appreciate this, especially for big or complex queries.

GraphQL Example

Imagine you want to request information about a client and their blog posts. Your query could look something like this:

query {
  user(id: 1) {
    name
    email
    posts {
      title
      content
    }
  }
}

As a result, you get the requested name, email, and blog posts (title and content).

Pros and Cons of GraphQL in Drupal Integration

Integrating this solution with Drupal offers a number of obvious advantages. GraphQL in Drupal offers many obvious advantages. But, at the same time, it has disadvantages.
There are a few GraphQL benefits:

1. Incredible flexibility. Users can request the data they need, reducing server load while increasing performance.
2. Customization. The tool can create queries of any complexity level, combining data from various sources.
3. Reduced number of requests. Compared to REST, you can use a single query to obtain data from several related resources. As a result, the overall number of HTTP requests is significantly lower.

There are 3 disadvantages:

1. Security risks. The flexibility of queries can lead to issues with accessing personal or confidential information. Proper restrictions need to be set up to mitigate this.
2. Complexity. Implementing and configuring GraphQL is more difficult than compared to REST.
3. Support. While GraphQL support is growing, it still lags behind REST regarding development and documentation.

To provide a more balanced assessment, let's take a look at REST.

What is REST and How Does It Work?

The second one is REST. It utilizes HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to perform various data operations. In this API, clients send requests to the server and receive responses in XML or JSON format. The funny thing is that this approach is simpler and more efficient for working with websites and applications.
REST API is an excellent solution for developers who create and manage applications that require simple, predictable requests and responses. 

REST API Example

Okay, suppose you want to request and retrieve information about a user with a specific ID. The query could look like this:
GET /users/1
In response, you might receive the following:

{
"id": 1,
"name": "Mike Tyson,"
"email": "mike@example.com"
}

Thus, you make a simple request and receive the information you need. This requires minimum time and effort. In addition, this format of interaction between clients and the server creates a minimum load and does not require many resources. Everything is straightforward, quick, and convenient.

Pros and Cons of REST in Drupal Integration

As usual, there are benefits and drawbacks. Let`s see.
Advantages are the following:

1. Ease of use. Setting up the REST API is easy, and working with it presents no significant challenges. This is why it is selected for many web projects.
2. Support. REST is currently the standard for most modern applications, which is confirmed by its active support in Drupal and other systems.
3. Clear architecture. The REST API relies on standard, widely used HTTP methods. Therefore, it is intuitive and easy for web developers to work with.

Don't forget about some of the disadvantages:

1. Excess data. Sometimes, working with REST results in requesting more data than needed. This can negatively impact performance.
2. Multiple requests. Multiple requests are often required to obtain related data from the server, which increases the load on the servers.

To conclude, let's summarize and compare these two solutions.

GraphQL vs. REST: Which Approach Is Better for Drupal Integration?

To choose GraphQL or REST for Drupal, first consider specific aspects of your needs. For example, you should think about the complexity of your web project, performance requirements, and, of course, the developers' preferences working on the project. 
REST is great for web projects where simple solutions and a fast development process are needed. For example, standard applications that only need to select simple data. Moreover, integrating a REST API with Drupal is easy and quick. 
On the other hand, GraphQL is just the best for complex queries with multiple interrelated sets of data. It minimizes the data transmitted, even with complex and large queries. This is highly in demand while creating modern and complex mobile applications, where speeding response time becomes extremely important along with high volumetric queries. Looking back, each approach has advantages and uniqueness. 
Long story short, none of the argued solutions can be considered superior to the other. They cannot be regarded as direct competitors because they solve and apply different problems in certain situations. 
Consequently, it is advisable to always base on the peculiarities of the web project under development and finalize the decision on the main features and goals. Finally, Drupal is considered the most universal, multifunctional, and flexible CMS that can provide the utmost efficiency while working with REST or GraphQL.
Do you still have a question? Ask for help from qualified Drupal specialists.