APIs are an essential part of modern software ecosystems. They offer a convenient way for third-party developers to integrate with your software without having to implement the integration code themselves. 

With that said, choosing which API protocol to use can be overwhelming. Which one is right for your project? Are there any disadvantages to using them? Let’s explore this topic further and learn when and how you should use each one of them.

What is an API?

An API is a protocol that makes it easier for developers to integrate with your software. It defines the types of information they can access and how they should interact with your application.

There are many different types of APIs. The most common are HTTP APIs, SOAP APIs, and REST APIs. 

An HTTP API is an interface that uses industry-standard request methods for communication like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. This means the data will be delivered to your application in a standard form.

SOAP APIs use XML over HTTP to send requests and responses. This allows for very flexible data transfer between systems as well as powerful features like caching and authentication (more on this later). 

RESTful APIs use a separate URL endpoint to retrieve data from your system using HTTP verbs like GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE along with JSON format.

HTTP-based API

The HTTP-based API protocol is the most popular of the three available. As such, it’s often used in web applications and mobile apps, and it’s also the default protocol for desktop apps. You can use this kind of API to integrate with your software via REST APIs or OAuth2 authentication. The major disadvantage of using an HTTP-based API is that you’ll have to implement a lot of integration code yourself because there are no libraries out there that work with all systems. Nevertheless, they provide a convenient way for developers to communicate with your software if they don’t want to implement their own integration code.

RESTful API

The RESTful API protocol is a popular standard that allows for the creation of modular, dynamic web services. It provides resource-oriented architecture and aims to be a lightweight system that can be used on low-powered devices with limited storage space.

The RESTful API protocol has several advantages, including:

• It’s easy to create new endpoints for resources because it uses HTTP standards
• It is easier to integrate with modern languages, such as JavaScript and Ruby
• It supports multiple data types and data structures, which means that you can use different programming languages without having to convert the data into another format
• It uses the HTTP standard, so other clients will be able to pick up your API with ease

GraphQL-based API

The GraphQL-based API, is a RESTful API that was created by Facebook in 2016. Originally, the GraphQL-based API was designed to help developers build apps that are better able to integrate with Facebook’s platform. 

With this solution, you can create your own schema and type system without having maintainers of the APIs for social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. This approach allows for more flexibility and creativity because you are able to design your app around what you need rather than around the restrictions of the platform.

What’s the difference between HTTP and REST?

There are two main API protocols that you can use for your project. One is HTTP, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. This protocol was initially developed in the early 1990s and has been legacy since the 2000s. REST stands for Representational State Transfer and was created in 2000-2001 by Roy Fielding. 

The main difference between the two is that HTTP uses a series of messages to load and transmit data while REST uses a single request to retrieve one specific item of data, typically through an object identifier called a resource identifier. In addition, there are other differences such as how they handle errors, what type of content they allow, etc. 

Which one should you choose? Well, it depends on your specific project needs. If you need more flexibility then go with REST while if you need a lot of control then go with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

Pros of Using a GraphQL-based API

GraphQL is a popular API protocol. With this protocol, you can request data from your backend server as a query that is then returned as JSON. This means that you can define the structure of your application with less complexity than today’s APIs. 

It also means that you don’t have to worry about what information the server has available for you in the backend. GraphQL makes it easier for developers to build features on top of your app because it provides a way for them to ask for exactly what they need and not more than they need.

Another advantage of GraphQL is that it’s an open-source protocol, meaning that it’s much easier to integrate into other languages than with other proprietary APIs like AWS Lambda and Google Cloud Functions.

Finally, GraphQL is easy to code against because you can use any standard JavaScript framework with it. This means that developers who are new or unfamiliar with API development won’t be stumped by GraphQL and will be able to quickly learn how it works.

Cons of Using a GraphQL-based API

The key advantage of using a GraphQL-based API is that there is no need to use a separate server-side language. This means that the GraphQL server can be implemented in any programming language. The main disadvantage, however, is that it can take longer to implement than an RPC-based API or RESTful API.

If you are unsure which protocol to use, you should consult with developers who are familiar with both APIs.

GraphQL: An alternative to RESTful APIs and RPC-based APIs for your project.

Conclusion

There are a lot of different API protocols available, so deciding which to use can be confusing. This guide will give you the information you need to choose the right API protocol for your project.

To decide which API protocol to use, you must answer these six questions:

1. What is my project’s purpose?
2. What data will my API be used for?
3. What is my time frame?
4. What is my budget?
5. Will my API be publicly available or does it need to stay private?
6. How important is API security?