Magento API Performance — REST vs GraphQL Trade-offs Explained With Real Numbers
Most Magento REST vs GraphQL articles compare syntax. After benchmarking three real queries against a Magento 2.4.9 store with 50,000 SKUs, the answer flips depending on the call pattern: REST wins single-resource by URL (95 ms vs 140 ms), GraphQL wins relational and grid loads by an order of magnitude (180 ms vs 665 ms), and the FPC versus @cache directive story decides whether either survives Black Friday. Here is the curl trace, the wrk concurrency test, and the cache invalidation pattern from client work on Magento 2.4.4 — 2.4.9.