A REST API is a web interface that exposes resources at URLs and uses standard HTTP methods to read and change them. GET, POST, PUT and DELETE map to reading, creating, replacing and removing data.
REST lets the server shape each response across many fixed endpoints; with GraphQL, the client requests exactly the fields it wants from one endpoint. REST caches more easily, and GraphQL reduces over-fetching for complex front ends.
An API (application programming interface) is a defined contract that lets one piece of software request data or actions from another. It hides internal details behind agreed operations, inputs and responses.
The backend is the server-side part of an application that users do not see. It holds business logic, data storage, integrations and security, and serves the front end and other systems through APIs.
GraphQL is a query language and runtime for APIs that lets clients ask for exactly the fields they need from a typed schema. Requests usually go through a single endpoint instead of several fixed URLs.
A Node.js developer builds server-side applications in JavaScript or TypeScript on the Node.js runtime, such as APIs, real-time services and integrations. For a team, hiring one often means a single language across frontend and backend.
OAuth 2.0 is an authorisation framework that lets an application act on a user's behalf without their password. It issues limited, revocable tokens tied to specific scopes.
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