For years the state of the art in HTTP API design has been RESTful JSON APIs. But the REST pattern imposes architectural constraints that may be inconsistent with the needs of modern rich web applications. A new protocol has been growing in popularity to address these changing needs. The GraphQL standard seeks to expose APIs that let clients specify exactly what information they need, and in what form.
In today’s episode, guest chef Nat Budin shows us how a traditional RESTful API can lead to an inefficient client/server conversation. Then he demonstrates the GraphQL alternative. Finally, he gives us a quick overview of some of the tools that are available for exposing GraphQL APIs. Enjoy!