SOAP versus REST versus gRPC versus GraphQL

While the term API has been in use since at least the 1960s and 1970s, over time software has become more widespread, and the technologies and protocols used to implement APIs have been adapted and adjusted to meet the needs of technology or implementation requirements.

A good example of this was the advent of cellular networks and the mass availability of 3G networks to individuals with appropriately powerful and interactive mobile phones. In the space of a few short years, the world transitioned from a mobile phone being very much used for text messaging and phone calls, with some basic internet functionality and camera capabilities, to powerful devices with a plethora of apps that needed to get data. This coincided with (and helped the spread of) social media platforms, where suddenly everyone wished to be connected to everyone else wherever they were. This shift required a change in the way in which data was sent and retrieved across...