Kaizen #173: A Comparison of Zoho CRM REST APIs and GraphQL APIs

Kaizen #173: A Comparison of Zoho CRM REST APIs and GraphQL APIs


Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!

Zoho CRM offers two API architectures for its users: REST API and GraphQL API. Each of these API architectures has its own strengths and ideal use cases. In this post, we will discuss the difference between REST API and GraphQL API.

REST APIs, or RESTful APIs, allow clients to interact with server resources using standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. GraphQL is a query language that provides a more flexible and efficient way to access data and metadata within your Zoho CRM. Unlike REST APIs that return fixed datasets, GraphQL allows you to request specific resources, fields of the resources and relationships of the resources, reducing redundant data and streamlining your development process.

Endpoints

REST APIs access information through dedicated endpoints. 

REST APIs: Multiple endpoints for different resources

In contrast, GraphQL APIs operate through a single endpoint. In Zoho CRM, it is {api-domain}/crm/graphql

GraphQL APIs: Single endpoint for different resources

Over-fetching and under-fetching of data

REST APIs use Unique Resource Identifiers (URIs) for identifying resources. This approach allows clients to access specific data, but it can also lead to inefficiencies such as over-fetching or under-fetching of information. Over-fetching occurs when the client receives much more data than it requires. Under-fetching occurs when the client requires to send multiple requests to fetch all the data it requires.
In GraphQL APIs, the client controls the structure of the response by specifying the exact information they need.  This enables the clients to have precise data control and avoids over-fetching and under-fetching of data. It fetches required data from different resources and provides it as a single resource.

Schema Introspection

GraphQL APIs have a schema that outlines the different types of data that can be queried in the server. This is like a blueprint for the API and serves as a contract between the server and client for data exchange. Refer to this post on Interpreting Zoho CRM GraphQL schema for more details.

Editions supported

REST APIs are available across all versions of Zoho CRM, including trial versions. GraphQL APIs are supported for Enterprise, Zoho One Enterprise, CRM Plus and Ultimate edition orgs. Please note that GraphQL APIs are not available for trial edition of these editions.

Status Codes

Zoho CRM GraphQL APIs mostly return 200 status code except for a few errors that return 400 status code. Refer to this page on GraphQL error and status code for details.
Zoho CRM REST APIs return different status codes. Refer to this page on REST API status code for more details.

Credits Consumption

   API rate limiting is crucial to ensure fair resource distribution, maintain optimal service quality for all users, and safeguard our system from potential security threats.
Both Zoho CRM REST APIs and Zoho CRM GraphQL API calls are associated with credits. Number of credits consumed depends on the intensity of the API call. 
Additionally, Zoho CRM REST APIs have Concurrency and Sub-concurrency limits. Concurrency limits the number of API calls that can be active at one time instance. It varies across different editions of Zoho CRM. For a few APIs that are more resource-intensive, there is an additional limit called sub-concurrency, The APIs that will fall under the sub-concurrency limit are
  • Get Records with cvid or sort_by parameters
  • Convert Lead
  • Insert, Update, or Upsert records (when the record count is greater than 10)
  • Send Mail
  • Search records API invoked from function
  • Query API
  • Composite API
Sub-concurrency limit across different editions is 10. 
 In GraphQL APIs, we have different concepts called Complexity, and Depth. Query Complexity refers to the workload imposed on servers by a specific query. This complexity increases with the number of fields requested and the depth of the query structure. Query Depth refers to the nesting level of a field that is being queried. In Zoho CRM GraphQL APIs it is limited to seven.

Suitable scenarios for GraphQL APIs and REST APIs

Let’s explore a scenario - the case of Zylker Manufacturing, an industrial equipment manufacturer. Their sales team uses Zoho CRM to enhance their sales operations and manage customer relationships effectively. Meanwhile, their sales support team relies on a legacy system to oversee their activities. 
The support team needs to retrieve comprehensive information about one account and its associated contacts to track all support tickets related to that account. They also need associated deals of the account for contextual information.
With GraphQL APIs they can use a single API call to fetch all required information to create a unified view. The below query fetches specific data related to Accounts and their Contacts and Deals, as well as metadata about the fields in the Accounts , Contacts and Deals modules.

{
    Records {
        Accounts(where: { Account_Name: { like: "%King%" } }) {
            _data {
                Account_Name {
                    value
                }
                Contacts__r {
                    _data {
                        Email {
                            value
                        }
                        Full_Name {
                            value
                        }
                    }
                }
                Deals__r {
                    _data {
                        Expected_Revenue {
                            value
                        }
                        Deal_Name {
                            value
                        }
                        Stage {
                            value
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
    account_meta: Meta {
        Modules(filter: { api_name: "Accounts" }) {
            _data {
                plural_label
                id
                api_name
                module_name
                description
                singular_label
                fields(filter: { api_names: "Account_Name" }) {
                    _data {
                        id
                        api_name
                        display_label
                        json_type
                        data_type
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
    contact_meta: Meta {
        Modules(filter: { api_name: "Contacts" }) {
            _data {
                plural_label
                id
                api_name
                module_name
                description
                singular_label
                fields(filter: { api_names: ["Email", "Full_Name"] }) {
                    _data {
                        id
                        api_name
                        display_label
                        json_type
                        data_type
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
    deals_meta: Meta {
        Modules(filter: { api_name: "Deals" }) {
            _data {
                plural_label
                id
                api_name
                module_name
                description
                singular_label
                fields(filter: { api_names: ["Expected_Revenue", "Deal_Name", "Stage"] }) {
                    _data {
                        id
                        api_name
                        display_label
                        json_type
                        data_type
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}


Using REST APIs in this scenario will require multiple API calls to the following APIs
  • Query API
  • Related Records API
  • Modules meta API, and 
  • Fields meta API.
We had explored another scenario involving Zylker Manufacturing in detail in an earlier Kaizen post where their sales support team needed the below details from Zoho CRM
  • details of the contact, such as email, phone, and Account details
  • details of the ongoing deals of the contact, including potential revenue and stages. 

GraphQL APIs are beneficial in these cases as they can fetch the required data in a single data query.  

Conversely, in simpler use cases, REST APIs may be more suitable. Let’s examine a second scenario involving an inventory management system. Zenith Products needs to manage its product catalog. The inventory management system requires the ability to:
  • Fetch Details of a Single Product
  • Fetch Details of Multiple Products
  • Update Product Information
 Each product can be accessed via a unique URL (endpoint), allowing for straightforward requests. For example:
  • To fetch a single product: GET /crm/{version}/products/{product_id}
  • To fetch multiple products: GET /crm/{version}/products
  • To update a product: PUT /crm/{version}/products/{product_id}
In such cases, REST APIs are preferred due to their simplicity.

Note
Currently, Zoho CRM GraphQL APIs only support queries. Queries allow you to fetch data from the server.

You can choose to use Zoho CRM REST APIs or GraphQL APIs depending on the specific need of your application. REST APIs are suitable for straightforward data retrieval needs whereas GraphQL is useful in situations involving complex queries and need precise data control.
We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!

Info
More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.

Cheers!
Mable

    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho Tables July 2025 Update: Smart Creation, Smarter Automation

      We’re excited to introduce a powerful set of updates across Web, Android and iOS/iPad apps. From AI-assisted base creation to advanced automations and mobile enhancements, this release is packed with features to help you build faster, automate better,

    • Zoho Voice est désormais en France !

      Nous avons des nouveautés très intéressantes qui vont transformer la façon dont vous communiquez avec vos clients. Zoho Voice, la solution de téléphonie d'entreprise et de centre de contact basée sur le cloud est arrivée en France ! Vous pouvez enfin

    • Numbers in MA

      I have an issue rationalising the various numbers around MA2. Not convinced that any are truly accurate. However have a specific problem in that i have a list with 1301 records in the list view. When i come to email there is only 1289 Then have another

    • Android mobile app unable to log in

      When I open the mobile up for zoho mail it asks me to sign in, but when i push the sign in button nothing happens. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling still not working

    • Pie chart in Zoho Analytics shows ridicoulous numer of decimals of a percentage.

      Is there a way to set the number of decimals of a percentage value in the Pie chart? Now it displays 15 decimals instead of a round-off value. The value is a count and percentage calculated in the chart, so there is no number of decimals that can be specified

    • Zoho People > Leave Management > Unable to import balance leave

      Hello Zoho I am unable to import balance leave into the system I have follow the steps It show only 5 fields - the date field i am unable to select from date and to date Error Date in excelsheet

    • Narrative 4: Exploring the support channels

      Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 4 - Exploring the support channels Support channels in a ticketing system refer to the various communication methods that customers use to contact a business for assistance. These

    • Tip of the Week #65– Share email drafts with your team for quick feedback.

      Whether you're replying to a tricky customer question or sharing a campaign update, finding the right words—and the right tone—can be tough. You just wish your teammates could take a quick look and give their suggestions before you send it. Sometimes,

    • How to Initiate WhatsApp Message on SalesIQ?

      I've just activated a Business WhatsApp phone number through SalesIQ because of its touted omnichannel chat approach. Sounds exciting. I understand that when a customer sends me a WA message, I can reply to it on SalesIQ and keep the chat going, perfect.

    • Episode IV:Handling User Inputs in custom functions

      Hi Everyone, We've been exploring custom functions which help in performing advanced automation tasks. Custom functions enable you to achieve possibilities based on your organization's requirements. Custom functions require user inputs that allow the

    • Set a lead as non-marketing if they opt out of email marketing

      I'm gathering Lead data via an enquiry form and wish to give them the option to opt out of marketing emails (which we send from Marketing Automation) whilst retaining the ability to send them non-marketing emails - so the email opt-out field doesn't work.

    • Set up multiple IMAP email addresses

      Hi, I just started using CRM and its great, but I just found out I can only add one imap email address for incoming mail in the included salesinbox ...this is ridiculous. All companies have different email such as sales@domain, info@domain , personal@domain

    • Zoho Recruit to Zoho People integration

      In the mapping of field from Zoho Recruit to Zoho People i am unable to map all fields What can i do

    • Zoho Recruit > Career Site > Customisation

      Hi All I have created multiple career site to represent my different organization In my Quanta Media career site > I set it with the with Quanta Malta view In my job opening : Quanta Malta view 2 job opening In my URL for quanta media https://lri.zohorecruit.eu/jobs/Quanta-Malta

    • Formatting Blueprint Stages (buttons)

      Is there a way to format Blueprint transition buttons in Creator like background colour, text colour etc.

    • Disable Default Value in Multi-Select field

      Hello, Is there a way to disable the default value feature when setting up a custom Multi-Select field? When creating tickets I would like it so there isn't a value pre-selected in the multi-select custom field that was created.

    • How to set custom business hours for different teams in Zoho Desk?

      Hi Zoho Team and Community, I’m trying to set different business hours for multiple departments in Zoho Desk. For example, our tech support team works 24/7, while our billing team is only available from 9 AM to 5 PM (Mon–Fri). Is there a way to assign

    • Zia Auto Tag Keyword Clusters

      Is there a way to remove a keyword from a keyword cluster? We're finding that Zia auto-tag is tagging things incorrectly based on some words that don't really make sense.

    • Centralized Domain Verification in Zoho CRM Plus

      Hi Team, I have a suggestion regarding Zoho CRM Plus. It's quite frustrating to verify the same domain separately for each application within the suite. It would be really helpful if you could introduce a centralized admin console—similar to what's available

    • HOw do I make a refund?

      I have a client that needs a refund. I see a refund history in the Report area... but where do I go to make a refund?

    • Creating a work order for dispatch

      We currently uses ZOHO for CRM and Intuit Field Service for creating Work orders and dispatching. This is causing double entry and is not efficient use of time.  I would like to use ZOHO for all customer related activities so can you tell me if you can :  Create a work order that we could manipulate to meet our needs.  Also if you could then dispatch that would be ideal. Thank you

    • "code": "500","description": "Account not exists", mail api

      I have been through all the steps and have a functioning Oath access_token etc etc... I then GET https://mail.zoho.com/api/organization And get my zoid then GET http://mail.zoho.com/api/organization/<hidden>/accounts and get the account details, which

    • Residual Formatting in Text Boxes After Undoing Pasting of Formatted Text

      Hi, guys! I have another problem to report. Actually, I have been aware of this for many months, possibly years, but I have been too lazy to report it to you. My apologies! Let's say you've pasted a formatted string into a text box. You change your mind

    • Feature Request: Stripe Terminal Integration

      I would like to request the addition of Stripe Terminal integration to Zoho Books, which will help process in-person payments. While Zoho Books already supports online payments through Stripe, extending this functionality to include Stripe Terminal would

    • Improved Security in SAML/OIDC Sign-in Redirection Flow

      To enhance the security of our authentication system, we’ve made a change to how SAML and OIDC sign-in redirections are handled. This update resolves a potential open redirection vulnerability and adds an extra layer of protection during the sign-in process.

    • GA4 data

      Hi, I have data being pulled from GA4 into numerous tables. There are a few major errors in the source data. Eg for a period of time GA4 reported ecommerce sales that were $98 as $9,800 and $42 as $4,200. It's not happening now but my historical data

    • Ask the Experts: Five-hour live Q&A session with Zoho WorkDrive product experts

      Have questions about WorkDrive 5.0? Let’s talk! We recently launched Zoho WorkDrive 5.0, packed with powerful updates to help your team work smarter, stay secure, and get more value from your business content. From content-centric workflows and AI-powered

    • Allow the usage of Multi-Select fields as the primary field on "Layout Rules"

      We want to force our users to enter some explanation strings when a multi-select field has been utilized. I can't understand the reason for the usage restriction of Multi-Select fields as a primary field. This is a simple "Display hidden mandatory field

    • Lost Search Box with new UI Design

      I would like to suggest bringing back the Search Box in the new Zoho Project UI.  I use the search feature a lot and having to click the magnifying glass to type for a search is one extra click that we did not have with the old UI.

    • Adaptación de zoho books a la nueva regulación de facturación electrónica

      La facturación electrónica será obligatoria para todas las empresa en España en 2025, en Francia probablemente también e imagino pronto en todos los países europeos. Ya en 2024 todas las empresa grandes tienen que utilizar el sistema de facturación electrónica.

    • ZOHOBOOK Sales_QUOTE: To Add Discount At Each Line Item Table

      Hi, Our quote need to display with discount at each line item level as well. Try to edit template, >CUSTOMISE>EDIT TEMPLATE> Table, I can see template view with discount column, but when hit SAVE the template, view in PDF the discount column not shown.

    • How to account for vat with postponed VAT accounting

      Hi everyone, looking for some help with postponed VAT accounting, I use DHL express for my imports and they used to pay the VAT for me and then invoice me. I could then log this as a bill and the VAT element from import was recorded as input VAT, all

    • Weekly Automation Trigger for Equipment Calibration Reminder

      Dear Team, I’m currently working on an automation in the Equipment module. The goal is to track calibration schedules for tools — all of which require regular calibration. I’ve created an automation that sends email reminders for tools that are due for

    • ADDDATE formula using 2 calculations

      Hello, I want to create an ADDDATE formula using 2 calculations, add 1 month and deduct 1 day. the formula that I need should look like this: ADDDATE(due_date, 1, "Months")+ ADDDATE(due_date, -1, "Days") Each row itself works fine, but when I'm trying

    • Upgrading from Zoho Invoice to Books was a major downgrade in functionality for me

      I have been a user for many years of a free plan on Zoho Invoice for my personal consulting business. I recent upgraded my organization to Books since some of the additional functionality looked useful to me, and played around with the free trial for

    • 🎉 Dynamic Org Chart for Zoho CRM Extension Published [2025]

      Hey Zoho CRM Community! We're thrilled to unveil our latest Zoho extension:🥁 Dynamic Org Chart for Zoho CRM 🎊 This extension is now available to transform the way your teams visualize, manage, and interact with org chart directly inside any Zoho CRM's

    • Detailed General Ledger has problem of exporting out to excel and missing ledger details for some accounts

      I have been encountering some problems generating Detailed General Ledger report with Zoho books. Firstly, I cannot export out the report of Detailed General Ledger to Excel. It will show this error message "invalid value passed for sort column", and

    • Upload a file to a File Upload Field through API

      Hello, Is there any way to upload a file to a custom file upload field in a module when doing an Update using the Record API? I've found and I am able to upload files to attachments but I don't know how to upload them to a field. I've checked the documentation at  https://www.zoho.com/crm/help/api/v2/#update-specify-records but the File Upload field type does not appear in the examples. Thanks

    • Kaizen #131 - Bulk Write for parent-child records using Scala SDK

      Hello and welcome back to this week's Kaizen! Last week, we discussed how to configure and initialize the Zoho CRM Scala SDK. This week, we will be exploring the Bulk Write API and its capabilities. Specifically, we will focus on executing bulk write

    • Automatic pricing feature for sales orders

      I am currently setting up my Zoho Inventory system and would like to implement an automatic pricing feature for sales orders. We have created a custom field called "brandline" for our items. All products with the same brandline value should have the same

    • Next Page