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GraphQL VS ember.js

Compare GraphQL VS ember.js and see what are their differences

GraphQL logo GraphQL

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

ember.js logo ember.js

A JavaScript framework for creating ambitious web apps
  • GraphQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-01
  • ember.js Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-15

GraphQL features and specs

  • Efficient Data Retrieval
    GraphQL allows clients to request only the data they need, reducing the amount of data transferred over the network and improving performance.
  • Strongly Typed Schema
    GraphQL uses a strongly typed schema to define the capabilities of an API, providing clear and explicit API contracts and enabling better tooling support.
  • Single Endpoint
    GraphQL operates through a single endpoint, unlike REST APIs which require multiple endpoints. This simplifies the server architecture and makes it easier to manage.
  • Introspection
    GraphQL allows clients to query the schema for details about the available types and operations, which facilitates the development of powerful developer tools and IDE integrations.
  • Declarative Data Fetching
    Clients can specify the shape of the response data declaratively, which enhances flexibility and ensures that the client and server logic are decoupled.
  • Versionless
    Because clients specify exactly what data they need, there is no need to create different versions of an API when making changes. This helps in maintaining backward compatibility.
  • Increased Responsiveness
    GraphQL can batch multiple requests into a single query, reducing the latency and improving the responsiveness of applications.

Possible disadvantages of GraphQL

  • Complexity
    The setup and maintenance of a GraphQL server can be complex. Developers need to define the schema precisely and handle resolvers, which can be more complicated than designing REST endpoints.
  • Over-fetching Risk
    Though designed to mitigate over-fetching, poorly designed GraphQL queries can lead to the server needing to fetch more data than necessary, causing performance issues.
  • Caching Challenges
    Caching in GraphQL is more challenging than in REST, since different queries can change the shape and size of the response data, making traditional caching mechanisms less effective.
  • Learning Curve
    GraphQL has a steeper learning curve compared to RESTful APIs because it introduces new concepts such as schemas, types, and resolvers which developers need to understand thoroughly.
  • Complex Rate Limiting
    Implementing rate limiting is more complex with GraphQL than with REST. Since a single query can potentially request a large amount of data, simple per-endpoint rate limiting strategies are not effective.
  • Security Risks
    GraphQL's flexibility can introduce security risks. For example, improperly managed schemas could expose sensitive information, and complex queries can lead to denial-of-service attacks.
  • Overhead on Small Applications
    For smaller applications with simpler use cases, the overhead introduced by setting up and maintaining a GraphQL server may not be justified compared to a straightforward REST API.

ember.js features and specs

  • Convention Over Configuration
    Ember.js emphasizes conventions, which can help streamline the development process and reduce decision fatigue by providing out-of-the-box solutions and standardizing code structure.
  • Robust CLI
    Ember CLI is a powerful command-line tool that helps automate numerous development tasks, such as scaffolding, building, testing, and deploying applications, making the developer's workflow more efficient.
  • EMBER Data
    Ember Data is a robust library for handling data models and relationships. It simplifies the process of interacting with APIs and managing data, offering built-in support for RESTful APIs.
  • Strong Community and Ecosystem
    Ember.js has a strong and active community, which results in extensive documentation, numerous addons, and regular updates, enhancing the framework's reliability and feature set.
  • Two-Way Data Binding
    Ember.js supports two-way data binding, which helps keep the model and the view in sync automatically. This feature simplifies the management of user input and model updates.
  • Built-in Testing
    Ember.js has built-in testing support, making it easier to write and run tests for applications. This facilitates the development of robust, maintainable, and bug-free code.
  • Focused on Large Applications
    Ember.js is particularly well-suited for ambitious, large-scale applications due to its structure and built-in best practices, which promote maintainability and scalability.

Possible disadvantages of ember.js

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Ember.js has a significant learning curve, particularly for developers who are new to its conventions and deep abstractions. This can be a barrier to entry for some.
  • Performance Overhead
    The comprehensive nature of Ember.js can lead to performance overhead, especially for smaller applications. The framework's rich feature set may be more than what is needed for simpler projects.
  • Less Flexibility
    The convention-over-configuration approach can reduce flexibility and make it harder to deviate from the prescribed way of doing things, which can be restrictive for developers who need more control.
  • Heavy Dependencies
    Ember.js applications can come with numerous dependencies, which can increase the bundle size and, subsequently, the load time of the application.
  • Slow to Adapt New Trends
    Being a mature framework, Ember.js can be slower to adopt the latest web development trends compared to newer frameworks, leading to potential lag in leveraging cutting-edge features.
  • Complexity in Customization
    While conventions can be beneficial, scenarios that require custom configurations can become complex and cumbersome, potentially complicating the development process.
  • Smaller Talent Pool
    Compared to more mainstream frameworks like React or Angular, there is a smaller pool of developers who are proficient in Ember.js, which can make hiring and collaboration more challenging.

GraphQL videos

REST vs. GraphQL: Critical Look

More videos:

  • Review - REST vs GraphQL - What's the best kind of API?
  • Review - What Is GraphQL?

ember.js videos

What is Ember.js?

More videos:

  • Review - A preview of Ember.js Octane

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GraphQL and ember.js)
Developer Tools
80 80%
20% 20
Javascript UI Libraries
36 36%
64% 64
JavaScript Framework
40 40%
60% 60
JS Library
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GraphQL and ember.js

GraphQL Reviews

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ember.js Reviews

Top JavaScript Frameworks in 2025
Ember.JS is an open-source, JavaScript client-side framework that is useful for developing web applications. It provides a complete solution containing data management and application flow to develop an application, making it one of the reasons developers prefer to use it. Ember.JS also uses an MVVM architecture pattern along with a command-line interface tool that helps in...
Source: solguruz.com
20 Next.js Alternatives Worth Considering
Ember.js is old school cool, a framework that’s been whispering sweet nothings to devs for years, helping build ambitious web applications. It wraps its arms around conventions and provides everything you need to build rich, complex web UIs.
The 20 Best Laravel Alternatives for Web Development
Ember.js — the ambitious framework that promises a developer heaven, paving your road to productivity with a convention-over-configuration dogma and a solidly structured path.
9 Best JavaScript Frameworks to Use in 2023
Ember.js: Ember.js provides a lot of built-in features and conventions, making it easy to get started and build complex applications. It has a strong focus on developer productivity.
Source: ninetailed.io
JavaScript: What Are The Most Used Frameworks For This Language?
In addition, it offers a powerful command-line interface (CLI) that can generate boilerplate code and automate common tasks, making it easier to get started and build applications quickly. With a strong focus on performance, Ember.JS provides features like fast initial page loads, incremental rendering and advanced caching mechanisms.
Source: www.bocasay.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GraphQL should be more popular than ember.js. It has been mentiond 245 times since March 2021. 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.

GraphQL mentions (245)

  • 🚀 REST API vs. GraphQL: Which One Should You Use in 2025?
    📌 Learn more about GraphQL: https://graphql.org/. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Next.js vs Nest.js: What to Choose in 2025?
    Nest.js has been most widely adopted in developing back-end applications such as RESTful APIs, GraphQL services, and microservices. With its modular design, this framework is well and truly set for large project management; it allows for smooth and efficient performance through built-in features such as dependency injection and strong middleware support. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • The Power of GraphQL: A Beginner’s Guide to Modern Web Development
    Overview: Managing data efficiently is crucial for delivering smooth user experiences in today's fast-paced digital world. One technology that has revolutionized data handling in web development is GraphQL. This query language for APIs has transformed the way developers interact with data sources, offering flexibility, efficiency, and speed. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Advantages of search databases
    To address the challenge about adding new filters and stuff in the API, there were attempts to optimize the process using tools and standards like Apicalypse and, of course, GraphQL. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • My Journey Deploying an API: From Novice to Docker Enthusiast
    Last Month (December 2024), I was tasked to deploy my organization's backend API—a task I had never attempted before. Armed with AWS server credentials and no prior experience, I relied on documentation and online resources to guide me through the setup. Testing the application locally went smoothly, but upon deployment, I hit a major snag: the GraphQL endpoint failed to respond, though the rest of the application... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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ember.js mentions (32)

  • Embroider & Vite & net::ERR_ABORTED 504 (Outdated Optimize Dep)
    While working on EmberJS projects, I've been using pre-alpha version of @embroider/app-blueprint quite a lot lately and I hit a baffling error:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • ResponsiveImage & EmberJS & glob vite imports
    I had a need to dynamically load a folder images in my EmberJS app that is using embroider-build/app-blueprint and ResponsiveImage. Turns out I could use vite glob imports and resulting code looked something like:. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Installing EmberJS v2 addons from GitHub forks using PNPM
    If you're using PNPM as a package manager for your EmberJS project and you find yourself in a need to install a v2 addon from git(hub) fork (because you have a branch with patched version), then you might find that GitHub URLs in package.json tricks don't work for you. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Add custom layer to embe-leaflet
    Ember-leaflet is a very popular addon from EmberJS ecosystem that allows a lot of flexibility. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • JavaScript frameworks: comparing the latest tools and libraries
    Ember.js is an opinionated framework for building ambitious web applications. It emphasizes convention over configuration. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GraphQL and ember.js, you can also consider the following products

gRPC - Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), and Service Discovery

AngularJS - AngularJS lets you extend HTML vocabulary for your application. The resulting environment is extraordinarily expressive, readable, and quick to develop.

Next.js - A small framework for server-rendered universal JavaScript apps

Vue.js - Reactive Components for Modern Web Interfaces

React - A JavaScript library for building user interfaces

Backbone.js - Give your JS App some Backbone with Models, Views, Collections, and Events