Best API Protocols (2025)
Ranked picks for api protocols. No "it depends."
🧊Nice Pick
REST API
The old reliable of web APIs. Simple enough to get you started, but good luck with those nested resources.
Full Rankings
#1
Details →REST API
Nice PickThe old reliable of web APIs. Simple enough to get you started, but good luck with those nested resources.
Pros
- +Easy to understand with standard HTTP methods
- +Stateless design simplifies scaling
- +Wide tooling and community support
Cons
- -Over-fetching and under-fetching data is common
- -Versioning can get messy fast
The real-time whisperer. Because polling is so 2005, but debugging this can feel like time travel.
Pros
- +Enables low-latency, bidirectional communication without HTTP overhead
- +Widely supported across modern browsers and servers
- +Persistent connections reduce server load for real-time apps
Cons
- -Debugging can be a nightmare with opaque connection drops
- -Scaling requires careful state management and can get messy fast
Compare:vs REST API
The protocol that made XML feel like a heavyweight champion, but now it's mostly just heavy.
Pros
- +Standardized and platform-agnostic, great for enterprise integration
- +Built-in error handling and security features
- +Works well with WSDL for clear service contracts
Cons
- -Verbose XML bloat makes it slow and bandwidth-hungry
- -Complex setup compared to modern REST or GraphQL alternatives
HTTP's chatty cousin. Real-time without the constant handshakes.
Pros
- +Full-duplex communication reduces latency for real-time apps
- +Persistent connection eliminates HTTP overhead per message
- +Widely supported in modern browsers and servers
Cons
- -Requires explicit connection management and error handling
- -Can be tricky with firewalls and proxies that block non-HTTP traffic
Head-to-head comparisons
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