REST and GraphQL trade-offs

REST gives you cacheable, predictable endpoints; GraphQL gives clients exactly the data they asked for. The trade is caching and complexity.

What this lesson covers

• Compare fixed endpoints against flexible queries
• Weigh caching behaviour on each side
• Version an API without breaking existing clients

This lesson sits in API Design at Scale, part of System Design Foundations. It assumes what came before it and leads directly into the next lesson in the module.