Web applications use APIs, in English Application Programming Interfaces , for the exchange and processing of data, so that, if other services have to access data from your custom software development services project, you must develop and implement an API. interface of this type . Here too there are established standards such as SOAP or REST (Representational State Transfer), which establish an elementary structure for your API compatible with any common programming language – the second architecture in particular has become an excellent solution in recent years due to its simplicity .
But while the triumph of REST architecture is impressive, there are alternatives, such as GraphQL, that are equally compelling. Facebook’s query language and runtime environment can compete perfectly with SOAP and REST, although its capabilities come to light in more complex queries.
What is GraphQL?
GraphQL was originally intended exclusively for internal application. The cause was the remodeling of Facebook’s native mobile applications for iOS and Android, which were showing increasingly poor performance due to increased complexity. Especially for the delivery of data from the news thread , the multinational had to find a solution that represented a satisfactory relationship between the information requested and the queries to the server. In 2015, Facebook liberalized access to the GraphQL source code , which at that time almost alone managed access to mobile application data. Since 2017, the project has been developed under the free OWFa-1.0 (Open Web Foundation) license.
This is how GraphQL works
- Query language : While other interface architectures only allow strict queries that often only guarantee access to a single resource, GraphQL queries are distinguished by great flexibility . This is demonstrated, specifically, by the fact that there is no limit to the number of resources consulted and because the data fields to be consulted can be defined exactly. GraphQL allows both read and write queries.
- Type system : GraphQL works with its own type system that allows an API to be described with data types. Each type consists of one or more fields, which in turn contain their own data types . This individual system serves as a guiding point for GraphQL to validate queries and reject erroneous ones.
- Runtime Environment – Finally, GraphQL also offers different runtime environments for servers to perform GraphQL queries. This is the purpose of the libraries available for different programming languages , for example, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python or Ruby, which give the user great freedom when choosing the language of their GraphQL API . However, the runtime environment is solely responsible for the conversion (parsing) and validation of the queries , as well as the serialization of the responses (conversion of the object into a corresponding order of bits). Saving and calculating data (e.g. in a database) falls within the scope of your web application.
The interaction of the query language, the type system and the runtime environment generates an extremely versatile API structure not only for any platform or application , but it can also be perfectly adjusted to the properties of your web application: you can integrate the interface of GraphQL without problems in the code of your project, regardless of the framework you use, be it Django, Rails or Node.js.
What sets GraphQL apart?
One of the main features of GraphQL is the simplicity of the query language, which makes it easy for custom software development company to access the interface. When using GraphQL it is easy to realize that the answers you get exactly reflect the queries you have asked . The output format is the lightweight and popular JavaScript JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. Therefore, submitting an exact query should not be a challenge, as long as you know the data structure your application needs and formulate it in the query. Along with the simplicity in creating queries , GraphQL stands out especially for the following characteristics:
- Hierarchical structure – Databases that can be queried with the GraphQL API have a hierarchical structure. Relationships can be automatically generated between objects that allow complex queries to be formulated (and answered) in a single request . The exchange of messages between the server and the client (also called “round trips”) is not necessary. This data hierarchy is especially well suited for graph-oriented databases such as JanusGraph and for user interfaces that are also typically arranged hierarchically.
- Strict typing : However, this type system can not only automatically determine whether a query is formulated correctly or incorrectly : like SQL and thanks to strict typing, GraphQL can issue error messages already during the software development services or submission of queries.
- Flexibility : GraphQL allows for flexible queries and gives the user a range of freedoms and advantages in developing and fine-tuning your interface . Typically little server-side re-tuning is required, although the developer team can act completely independently of the team responsible for the client component. Furthermore, any changes or extensions to the APIs can be executed without versioning , since if additional fields need to be added, it can be done easily without harming existing clients .
GraphQL vs. REST: what differentiates both API concepts?
We have already mentioned the great success of REST on the World Wide Web in the same way that we have emphasized GraphQL as a serious alternative to this established, HTTP-based, resource-oriented architecture for web services. What made it possible was, above all, a development that motivated Facebook to conceive GraphQL: the growing relevance and complexity of mobile web applications. It is especially in Android, iOS applications, etc., where the great strength of GraphQL as a basis for APIs is demonstrated: with a single query you can access all the data.
The GraphQL server instance delivers exactly the information defined in the query, so that no more or less data than necessary is sent through the interface . In other comparable REST APIs you can query only one record per query, so it is output in its entirety. A direct comparison between GraphQL and REST shows that Facebook’s query concept is considerably more precise and efficient , which benefits the performance of your application. This is especially worthwhile for mobile device users, whose internet connection is often weak.
While, on the one hand, the freedom of queries in GraphQL generates many advantages, on the other it can however lead to serious security problems , especially if you want to offer open APIs through which you cannot control the behavior of third-party customer queries. It could happen that a large number of queries could cause a server crash or crash (intentionally or unintentionally). This situation, which you must properly protect yourself from, is not as imminent if you implement a REST API. Implementing GraphQL on the backend in a way that performs and works securely is considerably more difficult.
Additionally, implementing a caching method is much more complicated for GraphQL invariant queries than for queries through a REST interface. These can be saved temporarily (for example, in the browser) with the caching methods of the HTTP specification .
About the Guest Author:
Glad you are reading this. I’m Yokesh Shankar, the COO at Sparkout Tech, one of the primary founders of a highly creative space. I’m more associated with digital transformation solutions for global issues. Nurturing in Fintech, Supply chain, AR VR solutions, Real estate, and other sectors vitalizing new-age technology, I see this space as a forum to share and seek information. Writing and reading give me more clarity about what I need.
