Why Big Tech Doesn't Always Use REST: The Evolution of API Architecture at Scale

Big Tech companies are moving away from REST due to its limitations in handling real-time communication, multiple data fetches, massive scale, and low-latency interactions. REST's inefficiency and inflexibility also lead to wasted bandwidth and data. To address these issues, companies are adopting alternative API architectures such as GraphQL, gRPC, and WebSockets. Engineers should consider these alternatives when designing scalable APIs.