Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Falcor VS JsonAPI

Compare Falcor VS JsonAPI and see what are their differences

Falcor logo Falcor

Falcor is a JavaScript library for efficient data fetching.

JsonAPI logo JsonAPI

Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, and Query Languages
  • Falcor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20
  • JsonAPI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-21

Falcor features and specs

  • Efficient Data Fetching
    Falcor allows fetching only the data you need by utilizing a virtual JSON graph on the server, minimizing over-fetching and under-fetching of resources.
  • Single Data Model
    Falcor provides a unified data model that represents all your data as a single JSON graph, simplifying data management and access patterns.
  • Built-in Cache
    Falcor's client-side library includes a built-in cache that reduces the need for repeated requests for the same data, improving performance and efficiency.
  • Consistent API
    Falcor offers a consistent and declarative API for data retrieval, making it easier to understand and use within applications.

Possible disadvantages of Falcor

  • Initial Learning Curve
    Falcor's concepts and architecture can be complex for those new to the system, requiring time and effort to fully understand and utilize effectively.
  • Limited Adoption
    Despite being from Netflix, Falcor has seen limited adoption compared to alternatives like GraphQL, resulting in fewer resources and community support.
  • Opinionated Structure
    Falcor imposes a specific way of structuring and querying data, which may not align with the existing architecture or needs of every project.
  • Maintenance and Updates
    With Netflix pivoting towards other technologies, there may be concerns about the frequency of updates and long-term maintenance of Falcor.

JsonAPI features and specs

  • Standardization
    JSON:API provides a standardized format for building APIs, which promotes consistency and interoperability between different APIs.
  • Efficiency
    It supports features like sparse fieldsets, compound documents, and included relationships which help in reducing the amount of data transferred and improving response times.
  • Decoupling
    JSON:API encourages a clear separation between client and server, allowing them to evolve independently as long as they adhere to the specification.
  • Error Handling
    It has a well-defined error format that makes it easier for clients to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.
  • Community and Tooling
    A growing community and increasing tooling support make it easier to implement JSON:API in various server-side and client-side technologies.

Possible disadvantages of JsonAPI

  • Complexity
    The specification can be complex and may introduce a learning curve for developers who are new to it or used to simpler REST approaches.
  • Overhead
    Strict adherence to the JSON:API specification can sometimes introduce additional overhead in terms of implementation effort, especially for small projects.
  • Flexibility
    While the standardization is beneficial, it can reduce flexibility in scenarios where a more customized or optimized solution is needed.
  • Adoption
    Although growing, JSON:API is not as widely adopted as other conventions like simple REST, and thus some developers and projects might resist switching to it.
  • Resource Intensive
    Some features of JSON:API, like relationship links and included resources, can become resource-intensive for the server if not implemented carefully.

Falcor videos

Airborn Proto Falcor 400 Plastic | Disc Golf Disc Review | PRODIGY STREET TEAM

More videos:

  • Review - Throwmore Disc Golf Store Presents Flies Like: Prodigy Discs Falcor and Reverb

JsonAPI videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Falcor and JsonAPI)
API Tools
25 25%
75% 75
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
30 30%
70% 70
Project Management
25 25%
75% 75

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, JsonAPI seems to be a lot more popular than Falcor. While we know about 49 links to JsonAPI, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Falcor. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Falcor mentions (4)

JsonAPI mentions (49)

  • OSF API: The Complete Guide
    Built on JSON API standards, the OSF API is intuitive for anyone familiar with REST conventions. Once you learn its core patterns, you can quickly expand into project creation, user collaboration, and more—without constantly referencing documentation. The official OSF API docs provide everything needed to get started. - Source: dev.to / 13 days ago
  • Common Mistakes in RESTful API Design
    Following established patterns reduces the learning curve for your API. Adopt conventions from JSON:API or Microsoft API Guidelines to provide consistent experiences. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Starting the Console front-end for Rainbow Platform
    I’ve used both GraphQL and REST in the past. From json:api to Relay, each approach for building APIs has its pros and cons. However, a constant challenge is choosing between code-first and schema-first approaches. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • REST API: Best practices and design
    There is a group of people who set out to standardize JSON responses into a single response style, either for returning single or multiple resources. You can take their style as a reference when designing their API to ensure uniformity of responses. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Path To A Clean(er) React Architecture - Domain Entities & DTOs
    The server seems to be using the popular JSON:API standard which is a great way to build APIs. But should we really use these data structures in the frontend? - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Falcor and JsonAPI, you can also consider the following products

OData - OData, short for Open Data Protocol, is an open protocol to allow the creation and consumption of queryable and interoperable RESTful APIs in a simple and standard way.

ReqRes - A hosted REST-API ready to respond to your AJAX requests.

GraphQL - GraphQL is a data query language and runtime to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps.

JSON Placeholder - JSON Placeholder is a modern platform that provides you online REST API, which you can instantly use whenever you need any fake data.

FastAPI - FastAPI is an Open Source, modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.6+ based on standard Python type hints.

Django REST framework - Django REST framework is a toolkit for building web APIs.