Salesforce REST API vs. GraphQL API: Key Differences & Uses

February 14, 2025

297 Views

Salesforce REST API vs. GraphQL API: Key Differences & Uses

Salesforce offers multiple APIs to help developers interact with its platform efficiently. Two of the most commonly used APIs are the REST API and the GraphQL API.

Understanding their differences can help you choose the right one for your use case. In this blog, we’ll explore both APIs, their key features, and when to use each.

What is Salesforce REST API?

The Salesforce REST API is a web-based interface that allows external systems to access and manipulate Salesforce data using standard HTTP methods. It provides a simple and lightweight way to interact with Salesforce’s resources and supports common operations like querying, creating, updating, and deleting records.

Data Formats: The REST API typically returns data in JSON or XML formats, making it easy to integrate with various programming environments.
Supported HTTP Methods: The API leverages standard HTTP methods like GET (retrieve data), POST (create records), PATCH (update records), DELETE (remove records), and PUT (replace data).
Error Handling: The API uses standardized HTTP status codes (e.g., 200 for success, 400 for bad request) to indicate the status of the request, which simplifies error handling for developers.

Use Cases: REST API is ideal for applications that need simple interactions with Salesforce data, especially when the operations do not require complex relationships or custom aggregations.

Also Read

Don’t forget to checkout: Tracking User Activity in Salesforce: A Complete Guide.

What is Salesforce GraphQL API and Why Was It Introduced?

The Salesforce GraphQL API provides a more flexible and efficient approach to querying Salesforce data. Unlike traditional REST API endpoints, which require predefined endpoints for specific resources, GraphQL allows you to define the exact data you need in a single query, avoiding unnecessary data transfer.

Querying: With GraphQL, you can specify the exact fields you want to retrieve for each resource, leading to smaller payloads and optimized performance.
Response Structure: Responses are returned in JSON format and include separate sections for data (the requested fields) and errors (if any issues occurred).
Aggregation and Summarization: GraphQL supports aggregate queries, enabling you to perform calculations like sums, averages, and counts directly in the query, which helps in reducing the need for multiple calls.
Mutations: GraphQL uses mutations to modify Mutations allow you to create, update, or delete records with more flexibility compared to REST API.

Why It Was Introduced: GraphQL was introduced to address the limitations of REST API in dealing with complex data relationships and performance inefficiencies. It allows developers to request only the data they need, reducing the amount of data sent and improving the speed of data retrieval.

Key Differences Between Salesforce REST API and Salesforce GraphQL API

Here’s a quick comparison to highlight the differences between the two APIs:

Field Selection:

GraphQL: Developers can specify exactly which fields are needed, ensuring that only relevant data is returned, optimizing bandwidth and processing time.
REST API: Limited to predefined endpoints and requires additional logic to filter out unnecessary fields, which can increase the data payload.

Data Aggregation:

GraphQL: Supports aggregation directly within the You can use built-in functions like groupBy, count, and sum to fetch summarized data in a single query.
REST API: Typically requires multiple API calls to fetch aggregated data or may involve additional processing on the client side after retrieving the data.

Efficiency:

GraphQL: By allowing the client to specify precisely which data is required, GraphQL minimizes the amount of data transferred and reduces the number of network requests needed.
REST API: Often leads to over-fetching of data (where more data than needed is returned) and can require multiple calls to different endpoints to gather related

Complex Relationships:

GraphQL: Supports deep relationships and nested queries in one This is particularly beneficial when retrieving related records like Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, and Cases.
REST API: To retrieve related data, you typically need to make multiple requests to different endpoints, leading to higher latency and complexity.

Introspection:

GraphQL: Supports introspection, allowing developers to query the API for metadata, types, and available This helps explore and understand the API schema dynamically.
REST API: Lacks introspection capabilities, requiring developers to rely on external documentation or manual exploration of the API.

Use Cases for both APIs?

Use REST API When:

Simple Operations:
- The REST API is ideal when you’re performing basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on individual records, especially when you don’t need to pull complex, related data in one request.
- Example: If you need to retrieve a single Account record by ID, the GET /services/data/vXX.X/sobjects/Account/{id} endpoint in REST is straightforward and efficient.
Fixed Set of Data:
- REST API is more suitable when you’re working with a fixed set of data or specific objects where you don’t need to dynamically query fields or handle complex relationships.
- Example: A use case where you’re integrating Salesforce with an external system that only requires basic data like names, addresses, and phone numbers (no complex querying or aggregation needed).
Limited Query Customization:
- REST API supports SOQL (Salesforce Object Query Language) to query records, but the query customization is limited to what is supported in the endpoint.
- Example: A simple query like GET /services/data/vXX.X/query/?q=SELECT Id, Name FROM Account is effective when you’re just retrieving a few fields without needing complex nested relationships.
When You Need to Work With Standard Endpoints:
- REST API works well when the Salesforce objects and operations you need to interact with are already exposed via standard endpoints.
- Example: If you need to update a Contact record, you can send a PATCH request to the endpoint /services/data/vXX.X/sobjects/Contact/{id} without needing custom GraphQL queries.
Broad Compatibility:
- REST API is widely supported across different programming languages and tools, making it a go-to solution for many integrations.
- Example: If you’re integrating Salesforce with an external system (e.g., a payment gateway) that only understands HTTP requests, REST API is an easy choice.

Use GraphQL API When:

Here’s a quick comparison to highlight the differences between the two APIs:

Fine-Grained Control Over Data Retrieval:
- Field Selection: GraphQL allows you to specify exactly which fields you want returned, minimizing unnecessary data and making your API calls more efficient.
- Example: If you only need the Name and Phone fields for Contacts, you can structure your query like:
graphql
```
query { contacts { name phone } }
```
This avoids unnecessary data like Email or Address.
Complex Queries with Nested Relationships:
- Multiple Objects in One Query: GraphQL allows you to retrieve data from multiple related objects (via relationships like Account → Contacts) in a single request, reducing the need for multiple API calls.
- Example: If you need to get an Account record along with its related Contacts, Opportunities, and Cases, a single GraphQL query can handle this:
graphql
```
query { account(id: "001xxxxxxxxxxxx") { name contacts { name email } opportunities { name amount } cases { caseNumber status } } }
```
Aggregation and Summarization of Data:
- Avoid Multiple Calls: GraphQL’s ability to aggregate and summarize data helps minimize the number of requests, which can be especially beneficial for applications that need to gather large datasets with grouping and ordering.
- Example: If you need the total number of Opportunities grouped by Stage, a single GraphQL query can be written to aggregate that data:
graphql
```
query { opportunities(groupBy: "stage") { stage count totalAmount } }
```
Optimizing Performance with Fewer API Calls:
- GraphQL reduces the need for making multiple requests by fetching all related data in a single call, which leads to lower latency and fewer network round-trips.
- Example: In a REST API, fetching an Account record and all of its related Contacts, Opportunities, and Cases would require multiple calls to different endpoints. In GraphQL, this can be achieved in one query.
Dynamic Schema and Metadata:
- Introspection: GraphQL offers introspection capabilities, allowing developers to query the API schema itself to learn about the available data structures, relationships, and queries.
- Example: A tool like GraphiQL (or Postman with GraphQL support) allows you to explore available queries and mutations dynamically. This can be extremely useful for exploring Salesforce’s data models and understanding available relationships without needing separate documentation.
Real-Time Data and Efficient Mutations:
- Mutations: Just like REST, GraphQL can be used to create, update, and delete records, but it often supports more flexible, compound mutations.
- Example: Instead of making separate API calls to update multiple fields of an object, GraphQL can update multiple fields in one mutation:
graphql
```
mutation { updateContact(id: "003xxxxxxxxxxxx", data: {phone: "555-1234", email: "new-email@example.com"}) { id phone email } }
```
When You Have Complex or Changing Data Requirements:
- GraphQL is ideal when you need more flexibility or anticipate changes to your data requirements over time. The client can adapt to different field structures without needing API updates.
- Example: If you’re building a dynamic dashboard where the data displayed changes based on user input (e.g., showing different data fields, grouping, or aggregations), GraphQL allows you to modify your queries on the fly.

Summary of When to Use Each API

Factor	Salesforce REST API	Salesforce GraphQL API
Simple CRUD operations	✅ Perfect for basic operations like Create, Read, Update, and Delete	✅ Can handle these, but might be overkill for simple operations
Field and Data Selection	❌ Limited field selection and response customization	✅ Full control over data returned, avoiding over-fetching
Multiple Related Objects	❌ Requires multiple API calls for related data	✅ Fetch multiple related records in a single request
Aggregation/Summarization	❌ Requires multiple calls or custom processing	✅ Aggregate data (e.g., sums, counts) in a single query
Performance Efficiency	❌ Can require multiple calls for related data	✅ Reduces the need for multiple round trips
Introspection	❌ Does not support introspection	✅ Introspective capabilities allow exploration of schema
Data Structure Flexibility	❌ Fixed API endpoints with pre-defined fields	✅ Dynamic queries allow flexibility in data requirements
Real-time or Changing Data	✅ Simple use cases	✅ Ideal for complex or frequently changing data needs

Written by

Abhishek Kolipey

With nearly 11 years of experience in the Salesforce ecosystem, I’ve had the privilege of working as an Independent Architect for Fortune 100 companies, leveraging Salesforce to deliver impactful solutions. Over the years, I’ve presented at Dreamin’ and community events worldwide, and I'm passionate about sharing the knowledge and insights gained from the solutions I've crafted on the Salesforce Platform.