If you've ever tried using the same API client workflow for both REST and GraphQL endpoints, you know the pain. They look similar on the surface — both are HTTP requests, both return JSON — but they behave completely differently under the hood.

In this post, I'll break down the key differences and show how APIKumo handles both seamlessly in one workspace.

The Core Problem

With REST, your API surface is spread across multiple endpoints:

GET /users GET /users/:id POST /users PUT /users/:id

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With GraphQL, everything goes to a single endpoint — but the shape of the request body determines what you get back:

POST /graphql

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Body:

{ "query" : "{ users { id name email } }" }

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This single-endpoint pattern breaks most API client assumptions. Headers are the same, but the body structure is entirely different.

Why This Matters for Your Workflow

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