API Versioning Strategies: REST vs GraphQL Approaches

API versioning manages changes to public interfaces without breaking existing clients. REST and GraphQL handle versioning differently due to their architectural differences.

REST Versioning

URL versioning embeds the version in the path: /v1/users, /v2/users. It is the most common approach. Simple to implement and discoverable. It encourages maintaining multiple API versions simultaneously.

Header versioning uses custom headers: Accept: application/vnd.api+json;version=2. Keeps URLs clean. Version negotiation is handled by the client. More complex to implement but follows REST principles more closely.

Query parameter versioning uses ?version=2. Simple but easily overlooked. Not recommended for production APIs.

GraphQL Versioning

GraphQL avoids traditional versioning. The schema evolves by adding new fields and deprecating old ones. Clients request only the fields they need, so new fields do not break existing queries.

Deprecated fields remain in the schema but are marked @deprecated. Clients receive deprecation warnings in responses. After sufficient migration time, deprecated fields can be removed.

Choosing

For REST, use URL versioning for simple APIs and header versioning for API-first products. For GraphQL, use schema evolution with deprecation rather than versioned endpoints. Always document breaking changes and provide migration guides.