Rest.li vs Retrofit: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Rest.li and Retrofit

Introduction

Rest.li and Retrofit are both popular frameworks used for building HTTP-based APIs. While they serve a similar purpose, there are several key differences between the two that set them apart. In this article, we will discuss the major differences between Rest.li and Retrofit.

1. Architecture and Design Patterns: Rest.li is built on top of a microservices architecture and follows a resource-oriented design pattern. It emphasizes the use of RESTful principles, such as stateless communication and resource identification through URIs. On the other hand, Retrofit is a type-safe HTTP client for Android and Java, which uses annotations and interfaces to define the API endpoints.

2. Platform Dependency: Rest.li is primarily used with Java-based platforms (such as JVM) and is developed by LinkedIn for their own internal use. It provides a set of tools and libraries specifically tailored for Java development. In contrast, Retrofit is a more lightweight framework that can be used with both Java and Android platforms. It is not limited to a specific organization's use case and has wider adoption among developers.

3. Ease of Use: Rest.li requires a more extensive setup process due to its microservices architecture and the need for additional infrastructure components like service discovery. It provides code generation tools to help generate client libraries, data models, and documentation, but this adds complexity to the development process. In comparison, Retrofit is known for its simplicity and ease of use. It uses annotations to define API endpoints and automatically serializes and deserializes JSON data, making it straightforward to integrate and use.

4. Scalability and Performance: Rest.li is designed with scalability in mind and comes with built-in features like distributed sharding, batching, and fault tolerance. This makes it suitable for large-scale applications that require high performance and fault tolerance. Retrofit, on the other hand, does not provide these features out of the box. It is more suitable for smaller projects or applications that do not require advanced scalability capabilities.

5. Community Support and Ecosystem: Rest.li has a smaller but more tightly-knit community since it is primarily used by LinkedIn. It has a comprehensive set of documentation and resources tailored for Java developers. Retrofit, on the other hand, has a larger and more diverse community due to its broader platform support. It benefits from the extensive Android developer community and has a wide range of third-party libraries and integrations available.

6. Integration with Existing Codebases: Rest.li is often used in enterprise environments where there are existing Java codebases and services. It integrates well with existing Java frameworks and tools, making it easier to adopt in such scenarios. Retrofit, on the other hand, can be easily integrated into both new and existing codebases due to its lightweight nature and flexibility.

In Summary, Rest.li and Retrofit vary in their architecture, platform support, ease of use, scalability, community support, and integration capabilities. The choice between the two depends on factors such as the project's requirements, existing infrastructure, and developer preferences.