REST vs SOAP vs gRPC vs GraphQL: The API Battle

Ever felt like tech people throw around words like REST, SOAP, gRPC, GraphQL, and WebSockets as if they’re talking about pizza toppings? 🍄 Don’t worry — you’re about to get it, and you won’t even need caffeine for this one.

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🍴 REST API — The Waiter of the Internet

Imagine you’re at a restaurant. You tell the waiter what you want, they disappear into the kitchen, and boom — food arrives. That’s REST.
Your app says, “Hey server, get me all users 🍽️,” and the server brings back a clean JSON dish.

• GET → Show me all users
• POST → Add a new one
• PUT → Update the existing
• DELETE → Remove the annoying one 😅

REST is stateless, meaning the server has zero memory of your previous requests. Every order is fresh. That’s why it scales like a champ.
And yes, your iPhone, Android, and even your smart fridge can talk to the same REST API. 🧊

But for serious grown-up stuff like bank transactions, REST is too chill.
Enter…

💼 SOAP API — The Suit-and-Tie Elder