REST, GraphQL, and LyftQL APIs

The Good, The Better, The Simpler

With each sip of your preferred coffee, watch our most recent podcast and listen to industry experts as they discuss LyftQL, GraphQL, and REST APIs.

REST APIs have recently faced competition from the promising language GraphQL. Although the former is assisting developers in overcoming RESTful architecture's difficulties, it also introduces a few loopholes. Learn how LyftQL's straightforward design minimizes the complexity of such API queries. Listen to Ali and Samuel as they discuss the advantages and difficulties using REST, GraphQL, and LyftQL APIs.

Also check the resource if you want to learn the comparision of RestAPI vs GraphQL.

Key Highlights

  • The history of APIs and how REST benefited developers.
  • Deciphering the issues and difficulties with REST and GraphQL that LyftQL addresses
  • Examine the benefits and drawbacks of the REST, GraphQL, and LyftQL APIs in depth.
  • How LyftQL minimizes API query complexity with ease: In fewer minutes, learn how to use ANSI SQL to query dynamic data through the REST layer.

FAQs

REST stands for REpresentational State Transfer which creates an architectural style that helps in creating designs and development for World Wide Web. In the world of Internet Systems REST API (Application Programming Interface) interprets the constraints or limitations of the architecture of the internet-scale and handles the request for the hypermedia systems.

The advantages of REST API are as follows:

  • Flexible: REST API is a much more flexible substitute to SOAP, RPC, CORBA, and other less open protocols. The REST architecture makes machine-to-machine conversion a lot easier.
  • No need to refer to Libraries: Unlike the Pre-REST APIs it does not require the maintenance and reference of libraries.
  • Supports different Data Format: It uses standard Create, Read, Update and Delete format and leverages HTTP using conventions & centered around data resources.
  • Easy to explore and discover: The REST API is easy to understand and used for organizing complex applications because of the simplicity of the interface.
  • Manages heavy load: It can manage heavy loads using an HTTP proxy server and cache.

GraphQL is a manipulation language for Application Programming Interface (API) and an open-source Data Query. It is a runtime for managing queries for the established database. It can be deployed within an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It is an open-source data query language and a good alternative to REST API.

The advantages of GraphQL are as follows:

  • Clean and understandable: User can simply dictate their requirements to the server and GraphQL API will take care of the rest.
  • Supports Explicit Requests: This minimizes the probability of confusion and fetching from unnecessary errors.
  • Single Request: GraphQL API can retrieve multiple resources in a single request.
  • Query Strongly typed data: The GraphQL API services clarify the set of possibilities of the set of data that can be queried of the particular server. Whenever queries arrive it automates the validation and execution against that schema.

Lyft Concierge API makes it seamless for developers by eliminating the complexity of the API query. It uses a user-friendly interface and promotes simplicity. It focuses on the design and development of software and applications for boosting efficiency and enriching customer satisfaction.

The advantages of LyftQL API are as follows:

  • Codeless Deploy: Unlike REST and GraphQL APIs, LyftQL offers code-less deployment of the Application Programming Interface.
  • No Schema Duplicity: Schema Duplicity is one of the major concerns faced by other APIs but LyftQL by Lyftrondata SQL ensures no schema duplications at all.
  • Supports native browser caching: One of the prime drawbacks of GraphQL is its cache management whereas LyftQL API supports native browser caches.
  • Effortless error and failure handling:Error handling has always been a major concern but not anymore because LyftQL gives an easy error and failure handling.
  • Abides in all languages: LyftQL is available for all languages which makes it easy for the developers to work with this.
  • Battle-tested in substantial deploys:First-time LyftQL is the only API that sacrifices its customers with battle-tested in large deploys.
  • Tricky query assistance:LyftQL API complex query support to all their clients.
  • Cross-Domain query backing:No matter what technology backing or how that is distributed, LyftQL offers cross-domain query support to each.

REST has become the standard API for deploying and launching without expecting any specialized initialization or libraries. The REST architecture was launched for making machine to machine communication easier using the HTTP protocol. It was a good replacement for the previously used open protocols. Now, GraphQL is an effective alternative to the RESTful API since it's easier to understand, much cleaner, and less time-consuming. GraphQL reduces the aggregation of data using the server for the clients in an individual query. Whereas, the backward with this one is that it lacks the management of caches. LyftQL is a generic, lightweight and dynamic version of

Both GraphQL and REST have their fors and againsts which means if you have to choose one for the mobile app then you should go for GraphQL because of the bandwidth status. On the other hand, REST can be preferred over GraphQL when your system requires a robust API with cache handling and a monitoring system.

GraphQL is a good alternative to REST because it is much cleaner and easier to use and understand. It is an open-source data query that can be deployed within the Integrated Development Environment.

Both GraphQL and Graph database are related to graphs but their purposes are completely different. GraphQL API is a query language required for designing and querying different databases for the typical web application architecture.

Yes, of course, you can replace it with using LyftQL because it offers everything where REST API lacks. Be it the cross-domain support or code-less deploying API. Anyways, REST API was launched in the 2000s which means more than two decades back and technology changes every day so it's high time to switch.

REST: The REST API is an endpoint identity of its objects. REST API is a robust Application Programming Interface for monitoring and handling caches.

GraphQL: GraphQL is separate from the identity. GraphQL API struggles with cache handling.

For the implementation of GraphQL following points need to be implemented:

  • You need to pick a framework for the server.
  • The endpoint needs to be constructed.
  • Schema needs to be defined for incoming queries.
  • Resolver action needs to be created for query handling.

Understanding GraphQL is pretty much easy to comprehend and use.

The answer to this statement is that GraphQL API is an amazing alternative to REST API, it is much more flexible, cleaner, and more effective query language but it has some backdrops as well which restrict GraphQL to replace REST API completely.

No, REST API is not faster than GraphQL. GraphQL API is the faster, more flexible and cleaner one not REST API.

Surprisingly, GraphQL is neither frontend nor backend instead it lies somewhere between the two for forming effective communication

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COFFEEWITHDATA

The Coffee With Data podcast series is for data and business leaders to learn how they leverage the cloud to unite, share, and analyze data to drive business growth, fuel innovation, and disrupt their industries. The data topic covered shall empower our future guests and our engaging audiences – Data Governance, Data Management, Data Science, Data Quality, Data Strategy, Data Architecture, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Security and Privacy, Master Data Management are to name a few.

Host | Javed Syed
CEO of Lyftrondata
Speaker | Ali Aghatabar
Director at Intelicosmos
Speaker | Samuel Chowdhuri
Director – W4Solutions

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