REST APIs vs GraphQL in 2026: What Should You Actually Use?
If you’ve built any modern web app, you’ve almost certainly used REST. It’s been the default standard for years. But then along came GraphQL—promising flexibility, efficiency, and a better developer experience. Now in 2026, both are still widely used. Neither has “won.” And that’s exactly why this question matters. Choosing the wrong one can lead to performance issues, developer frustration, or unnecessary complexity. Choosing the right one can make your system scalable, clean, and future-proof. Let’s break this down properly—beyond hype—and figure out what actually makes sense today. What is REST (Really)? REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style where your backend exposes multiple endpoints, each representing a resource. For example: GET /users GET /users/1 GET /users/1/orders Each endpoint returns a fixed structure of data, usually in JSON. REST is strongly tied to HTTP methods: GET → fetch data POST → create PUT/PATCH → update DELETE → r...
