Android SDK vs GraphQL

Overview

Android SDK

Stacks27.6K

Followers20.7K

Votes800

GraphQL

Stacks34.9K

Followers28.1K

Votes309

Android SDK vs GraphQL: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Android SDK and GraphQL. Android SDK is a software development kit specifically designed for building Android applications, while GraphQL is a query language and runtime for APIs.

Architecture: Android SDK follows a traditional client-server architecture, where the client application communicates with a server using HTTP requests and receives responses in various formats such as JSON or XML. On the other hand, GraphQL uses a custom query language to enable clients to request specific data from the server in a single request, reducing the number of round trips to the server.
Data Fetching: In Android SDK, the client has limited control over the data it receives from the server. The server decides what data to send, and the client has to accept it. In contrast, GraphQL allows clients to precisely specify the data they need using queries, ensuring that they receive only the required data. This flexibility eliminates over-fetching and under-fetching issues.
Backend Independence: Android SDK relies on server-side APIs to provide data. It is tightly coupled with the backend technologies used in the server, such as REST or SOAP APIs. GraphQL, on the other hand, is backend-agnostic. It acts as a mediator between clients and multiple independent backend services. This backend independence allows for easier integration with existing systems and decouples the client from the backend implementation details.
Flexible Schema: In Android SDK, the client has to rely on the server's predefined data model or schema. Any changes to the server's schema may require modifications to the client application. GraphQL, in contrast, uses a flexible schema that allows clients to query and mutate different types of data without requiring any changes on the server. This schema stitching feature makes it easier to evolve and iterate the client and server independently.
Efficient Network Usage: Android SDK often faces the challenge of over-fetching or under-fetching data, resulting in extra network requests or inefficient bandwidth usage. GraphQL addresses this issue by allowing clients to make a single request for all required data. This reduces the overall network usage and improves performance by minimizing round trips between the client and server.
Strong Typing: Android SDK primarily relies on annotations and type casting for ensuring type safety during development. GraphQL, on the other hand, provides built-in strong typing capabilities. It has a schema definition language that allows clients and servers to define the structure of the data, including the supported fields, types, and relationships. This strong typing ensures early detection of errors and provides better tooling support for the development process.

In summary, Android SDK and GraphQL differ in architectural style, data fetching capabilities, backend independence, schema flexibility, network efficiency, and strong typing. While Android SDK follows a traditional client-server model, GraphQL introduces a client-centric approach with flexible queries, independent architecture, and optimized network usage.

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Advice on Android SDK, GraphQL

Omran

CTO & Co-founder at Bonton Connect

Jun 19, 2020

Needs adviceon

Kotlin

We actually initially wrote a lot of networking code in Kotlin but the complexities involved prompted us to try and compile NodeJS for Android and port over all the networking logic to Node and communicate with node over the Java Native Interface.

This turned out to be a great decision considering our battery usage fell by 40% and rate of development increased by a factor of 2.

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Detailed Comparison

Android SDK	GraphQL
Android provides a rich application framework that allows you to build innovative apps and games for mobile devices in a Java language environment.	GraphQL is a data query language and runtime designed and used at Facebook to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps since 2012.
-	Hierarchical;Product-centric;Client-specified queries;Backwards Compatible;Structured, Arbitrary Code;Application-Layer Protocol;Strongly-typed;Introspective
Statistics
Stacks 27.6K	Stacks 34.9K
Followers 20.7K	Followers 28.1K
Votes 800	Votes 309
Pros & Cons
Pros 289 Android development 156 Necessary for android 128 Android studio 86 Mobile framework 82 Backed by google	Pros 75 Schemas defined by the requests made by the user 63 Will replace RESTful interfaces 62 The future of API's 49 The future of databases 12 Self-documenting Cons 4 Hard to migrate from GraphQL to another technology 4 More code to type. 2 Takes longer to build compared to schemaless. 1 Works just like any other API at runtime 1 All the pros sound like NFT pitches
Integrations
Java	No integrations available

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Related Comparisons

Android SDK vs GraphQL: What are the differences?

Introduction

Architecture: Android SDK follows a traditional client-server architecture, where the client application communicates with a server using HTTP requests and receives responses in various formats such as JSON or XML. On the other hand, GraphQL uses a custom query language to enable clients to request specific data from the server in a single request, reducing the number of round trips to the server.
Data Fetching: In Android SDK, the client has limited control over the data it receives from the server. The server decides what data to send, and the client has to accept it. In contrast, GraphQL allows clients to precisely specify the data they need using queries, ensuring that they receive only the required data. This flexibility eliminates over-fetching and under-fetching issues.
Backend Independence: Android SDK relies on server-side APIs to provide data. It is tightly coupled with the backend technologies used in the server, such as REST or SOAP APIs. GraphQL, on the other hand, is backend-agnostic. It acts as a mediator between clients and multiple independent backend services. This backend independence allows for easier integration with existing systems and decouples the client from the backend implementation details.
Flexible Schema: In Android SDK, the client has to rely on the server's predefined data model or schema. Any changes to the server's schema may require modifications to the client application. GraphQL, in contrast, uses a flexible schema that allows clients to query and mutate different types of data without requiring any changes on the server. This schema stitching feature makes it easier to evolve and iterate the client and server independently.
Efficient Network Usage: Android SDK often faces the challenge of over-fetching or under-fetching data, resulting in extra network requests or inefficient bandwidth usage. GraphQL addresses this issue by allowing clients to make a single request for all required data. This reduces the overall network usage and improves performance by minimizing round trips between the client and server.
Strong Typing: Android SDK primarily relies on annotations and type casting for ensuring type safety during development. GraphQL, on the other hand, provides built-in strong typing capabilities. It has a schema definition language that allows clients and servers to define the structure of the data, including the supported fields, types, and relationships. This strong typing ensures early detection of errors and provides better tooling support for the development process.

Android SDK vs GraphQL

Overview

Android SDK vs GraphQL: What are the differences?