Modern alternatives to REST

For years, REST has been the go-to approach for building APIs. However, modern applications demand faster communication, stronger typing, and more flexible data handling. In response to these needs, technologies like tRPC, gRPC, and GraphQL have emerged as popular alternatives to REST.

Each of these tools solves different problems and brings new capabilities to the table. Let’s break them down.

1. tRPC

tRPC allows you to build end-to-end typesafe APIs using TypeScript—without needing to define schemas or generate clients manually.

🔧 Key features

• Built on top of TypeScript
• No need for code generation
• Ideal for monorepos (frontend and backend share types)
• Integrates well with Next.js, Vite, etc.

✅ When to use

• You're using TypeScript on both client and server
• You want tight coupling between frontend and backend
• You prefer zero boilerplate APIs with full intellisense

❌ When not to use

• You're building a public API
• You need a decoupled client-server architecture

2. GraphQL

GraphQL is a query language for APIs that lets clients request exactly the data they need. It was developed by Facebook and offers a flexible alternative to REST’s fixed endpoints.

🔧 Key features

• Allows clients to specify the shape of the data
• Single endpoint for all operations
• Built-in tools like introspection and schema validation
• Rich ecosystem: Apollo, Relay, GraphQL Code Generator

✅ When to use

• You want to avoid overfetching or underfetching
• Your frontend requires complex data compositions
• You support multiple clients (web, mobile, etc.)

❌ When not to use

• Your data access needs are simple and fixed
• You don’t need the complexity that GraphQL brings

3. gRPC

gRPC is a high-performance, open-source framework developed by Google that uses Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) for communication.

🔧 Key features

• Binary format (smaller and faster than JSON)
• Built-in code generation for multiple languages
• Streaming support (client, server, or bidirectional)
• Excellent for microservices

✅ When to use

• You need high-performance and low-latency communication
• You're working with microservices or distributed systems
• You want strongly typed APIs across different languages

❌ When not to use

• You’re building a browser-based frontend (limited gRPC-web support)
• You want quick and simple JSON-based APIs

Comparison table

Which one should you choose?

• Use tRPC if you're building a full-stack TypeScript app with shared types.
• Use GraphQL when your frontend needs dynamic, efficient data fetching from a flexible API.
• Use gRPC for high-performance, cross-language microservices that require strong typing and streaming.

Conclusion

While REST is still widely used, these modern alternatives offer clear advantages for different scenarios. Whether you value type safety, performance, flexibility, or developer experience, there’s likely an API tool better suited to your project than traditional REST.

Choosing the right tool means considering your project’s architecture, team skills, and long-term maintenance—so evaluate carefully, and don’t be afraid to mix and match where it makes sense.