Definition
GraphQL
A query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need in a single request, rather than making multiple REST calls.
GraphQL, developed by Facebook in 2012 and open-sourced in 2015, allows clients to define the structure of the response they need, eliminating over-fetching and under-fetching common with REST APIs. A single GraphQL endpoint replaces dozens of REST endpoints, and clients can request nested, related data in one query. However, GraphQL introduces its own complexity: query depth limiting to prevent abuse, N+1 query problems on the server, caching challenges, and authorization checks that must be applied at the resolver level rather than the route level. AI tools generate GraphQL schemas quickly but rarely implement these production safeguards.
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