Every API Type Explained in 17 Minutes

By Explainer Chris

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REST, GraphQL, gRPC, OAuth, JSON, Swagger, WebSocket, MQTT — you've probably seen all of these on the same list and wondered what actually connects them. Spoiler: some of them aren't really APIs at all. 📖 What you'll learn: - What GraphQL actually is, why Facebook built it in 2012, and when it genuinely beats REST — and when it just adds complexity for no reason - How gRPC uses Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2 to handle backend-to-backend communication, and why the "10x faster than REST" claim is almost always exaggerated - What OAuth really does (it's an authorization framework, not an API style) and why "Continue with Google" isn't purely OAuth - Why JSON and XML are data formats, not API types — and what that distinction actually means in practice - What Swagger is, how it became OpenAPI, and why it's a documentation tool rather than a competing API style - When to use WebSockets for real-time two-way communication versus sticking with normal REST - What MQTT is, why it was built for o

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