GraphQL

A query language and runtime for APIs that allows clients to request exactly the data they need in a single request, rather than receiving fixed data structures from multiple endpoints as in traditional REST APIs.

GraphQL eliminates over-fetching and under-fetching of data. Mobile apps with limited bandwidth benefit significantly because they can request only the specific fields needed, rather than receiving entire resource objects.

A founder's app previously made four separate REST API calls to load a user's dashboard. After migrating to GraphQL, a single query fetches exactly the user profile fields, recent orders, and notification count needed, reducing load time by 60% and simplifying the frontend code considerably.