COMPARISON OF REST API AND GRAPHQL IN THE STRAPI CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the performance of two APIs in scenarios involving data retrieval, creation, and updates. REST API is known for its simplicity and high compatibility, whereas GraphQL offers greater flexibility in specifying required data, reducing over-fetching and under-fetching. The study employs a quantitative approach using JMeter to measure throughput, data size, and response time of each API. The results indicate that REST API excels in data retrieval with higher throughput, while GraphQL proves more effective for data creation and updates due to its ability to optimize queries more efficiently. REST API is also more efficient for storing small-sized data; however, GraphQL outperforms it when the total data exceeds 100 units and in handling large data volumes with better network efficiency. In conclusion, REST API is suitable for applications with high data demand and low complexity, whereas GraphQL is recommended for environments requiring large-scale data creation, updates, and dynamic data management.