What are REST API and GraphQL?

REST API and GraphQL are two popular approaches for building APIs that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style that uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE to access and manipulate resources. GraphQL, on the other hand, is a query language for APIs that enables clients to request exactly the data they need, making data fetching more flexible and efficient. Both have their advantages: REST is simple and widely adopted, while GraphQL offers more flexibility and reduces over-fetching of data.