How do you handle caching and pagination differently when consuming REST vs GraphQL APIs in a JavaScript app?

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How do you handle caching and pagination differently when consuming REST vs GraphQL APIs in a JavaScript app?

Asked on Jan 08, 2026

Answer

When consuming REST and GraphQL APIs in a JavaScript app, caching and pagination are handled differently due to their distinct architectures. REST typically uses endpoint-based caching, while GraphQL requires more granular caching strategies. Pagination in REST often uses page numbers, whereas GraphQL can use cursors.

// REST API Caching Example
        fetch('https://api.example.com/items?page=1', {
            method: 'GET',
            headers: {
                'Cache-Control': 'max-age=3600' // Cache for 1 hour
            }
        })
        .then(response => response.json())
        .then(data => console.log(data));

        // GraphQL API Caching Example
        const query = `
            query GetItems($cursor: String) {
                items(after: $cursor) {
                    edges {
                        node {
                            id
                            name
                        }
                    }
                    pageInfo {
                        endCursor
                        hasNextPage
                    }
                }
            }
        `;

        fetch('https://api.example.com/graphql', {
            method: 'POST',
            headers: {
                'Content-Type': 'application/json'
            },
            body: JSON.stringify({ query, variables: { cursor: null } })
        })
        .then(response => response.json())
        .then(data => console.log(data));

Additional Comment:

REST API caching often relies on HTTP headers like "Cache-Control" to manage caching at the endpoint level.
GraphQL requires more sophisticated caching strategies, often at the client level, using libraries like Apollo Client or Relay.
REST pagination typically uses query parameters like "page" or "limit".
GraphQL pagination often uses cursor-based pagination, which is more flexible and efficient for large datasets.
Consider using libraries like Apollo Client for GraphQL to handle caching and pagination automatically.

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How do you handle caching and pagination differently when consuming REST vs GraphQL APIs in a JavaScript app?

Asked on Jan 08, 2026

Answer

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