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