What is gRPC?
gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Calls) is a modern, high-performance framework developed by Google that enables client-server communication in distributed systems. It is an open-source RPC (Remote Procedure Call) framework designed to make it easier for applications to communicate across networks.
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gRPC follows an RPC (Remote Procedure Call) model where clients call methods on a server as if they were local functions. The interactions are strongly typed, and the server implements methods defined in a protobuf file, which is shared between client and server.
Key characteristics of gRPC:
- gRPC uses Protocol Buffers (protobuf), a compact binary serialization format, which makes it faster and more efficient than text-based formats like JSON.
- gRPC is language-agnostic, supporting multiple programming languages including Go, Python, Java, C#, and more.
- Unlike REST, gRPC allows not just simple request-response patterns but also bidirectional streaming for real-time, long-lived connections.
- gRPC employs strong typing and schema definitions using Protocol Buffers, ensuring clear contracts between client and server.
- gRPC uses HTTP/2, which supports multiplexing, meaning multiple requests and responses can be sent over the same connection, improving latency.
gRPC is designed to make communication between services in cloud-native applications seamless, efficient, and reliable, even across language boundaries." — Google gRPC Team
gRPC method types
- Unary RPC: One request, one response (like a REST call).
- Server Streaming: The server streams a sequence of responses to a single request.
- Client Streaming: The client streams a sequence of requests to the server.
- Bidirectional Streaming: Both client and server stream data in real-time.
Who Created gRPC
gRPC was created by Google and released in 2015. It evolved from Google's internal Stubby system, which powered communication across Google's data centers. Google developed gRPC to address the limitations of REST for real-time, low-latency communication at massive scale.
Efficiency and performance were the primary drivers behind gRPC's development. While REST is widely used, it can be inefficient for certain high-performance applications due to its text-based serialization (JSON) and lack of streaming. gRPC was designed to overcome these issues, offering:
Adoption and Evolution
Since its release, gRPC has become increasingly popular among organizations building microservices architectures and real-time, high-performance systems. Companies like Netflix, Square, and Dropbox have adopted gRPC for inter-service communication, particularly in polyglot environments where multiple programming languages are used.
gRPC is now widely used in cloud-native applications, and frameworks like Kubernetes and Istio support it natively, further driving its adoption. It is often the preferred choice over REST for services requiring efficient data transfer, real-time streaming, and large-scale operations.