api-integration-architect

REST and GraphQL API integration in React uses data fetching libraries like React Query, SWR, or RTK Query to manage requests, caching, and state. These libraries handle authentication, error retry policies, and real-time updates through WebSockets or polling, reducing boilerplate and improving reliability at scale.

Caching and prefetching strategies deduplicate requests, store responses in-memory, and load data before users request it. React Query and SWR provide built-in cache invalidation, background refetching, and prefetch hooks to keep UI data fresh and reduce latency.

Optimistic updates immediately reflect changes in the UI before the server responds, then rollback if the request fails. React Query and SWR support mutation hooks that manage this pattern, triggering cache invalidation and error states automatically.

WebSockets, Server-Sent Events (SSE), and polling enable real-time communication alongside REST and GraphQL. React Query and Apollo support subscription patterns and manual cache updates to sync server events with client state.

Token-based authentication integrates into request headers and interceptors across REST and GraphQL clients. React Query, SWR, and Apollo support middleware for injecting bearer tokens, refreshing expired credentials, and handling 401 responses.

Code generation tools produce TypeScript types from GraphQL schemas, ensuring query and mutation definitions match your API. This eliminates runtime type mismatches and provides IDE autocomplete for queries, fragments, and response objects.