Technology comparisons
REST vs GraphQL
REST vs GraphQL requires decisions about resource endpoints versus client-shaped queries, caching, schema governance, authorization and query cost. This guide explains the architecture, delivery and production practices needed to achieve an API style matched to client diversity, data graph and operational controls.
Compare against the same workload
Define request patterns, data volume, latency target, team experience, deployment environment and required libraries before comparing technologies. Synthetic benchmarks without the product workload rarely predict delivery cost or reliability.
Score implementation speed, maintainability, security, observability, hiring and migration—not only throughput. Prototype the riskiest integration and choose the option the team can operate for several years.
Create a predictable REST contract
Model resources and workflows with clear methods, status codes, pagination and versioning. Validate path, query and body data at runtime and return stable machine-readable error codes alongside safe messages.
Publish an OpenAPI contract, generate clients where helpful and test authorization as carefully as validation. Prefer additive changes for mobile or external clients that cannot upgrade at the same moment as the server.
Control GraphQL query cost
GraphQL gives clients a typed schema and flexible selection, but resolvers can create N+1 database work. Batch data access, paginate connections and set depth, complexity or time limits for untrusted queries.
Authorization belongs in domain operations, not only at the top-level resolver. Persisted operations, schema governance and field-level monitoring help prevent a flexible API from becoming an uncontrolled public query engine.
Keep authentication and secrets at trusted boundaries
The backend should own credentials, session validation and privileged integrations. Browser and mobile clients may store only the tokens needed for their session using platform-appropriate protections, and every data request still needs server-side authorization.
Plan expiry, refresh, logout, revocation and compromised-device response. A valid identity does not automatically grant access to another organization's record.
Run PostgreSQL as the system of record
Use migrations, constraints, transactions and parameterized queries. Design indexes around observed filters and ordering, inspect execution plans and avoid offset pagination for large changing datasets.
Configure connection pools and statement timeouts, monitor slow queries and vacuum behavior, back up data and test restoration. Application scaling should respect database connection and write capacity.