April 13, 20261 min read
The State of Headless Drupal in 2026
Evaluating JSON:API vs GraphQL for modern frontend frameworks like Next.js 16, and why the tooling has finally caught up to the architectural promise.
The case for JSON:API
Native to Drupal core, zero extra infrastructure, and — with jsonapi_extras — enough flexibility to avoid the classic "N+1 relationship" tax.
The case for GraphQL
Still best-in-class when the frontend team is used to it and when a single page assembles data from many content types in one round trip.
My recommendation
Start with JSON:API. Add GraphQL only when a specific page genuinely cannot be served efficiently by a single JSON:API call with include paths.