REST vs GraphQL vs WebSockets vs Webhooks: A...

You have used all of these. But when someone asks you, maybe in an interview, or in a system design meeting, why you chose WebSockets over polling, or webhooks over a queue, can you answer precisely? This isn't another definitions post. This article is about knowing which tool to reach for and why, with code you can actually use. Quick mental model before we start: Communication patterns → REST | GraphQL | WebSockets | Webhooks Code execution model → async/await These live at different layers. C