Definition
gRPC is a high-performance RPC (Remote Procedure Call) framework developed by Google.
Instead of text like JSON, it uses a binary data format called Protocol Buffers (protobuf).
It is built on HTTP/2, which enables high-performance features like bidirectional streaming, server push, and multiplexing.
- This makes it extremely well-suited for communication between internal microservices.
VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE, but difficult to debug (+ difficult to learn)
- You define a service in a
.protofile, which serves as the contract. - Example
// UserService.proto
service UserService {
rpc GetUser (UserRequest) returns (UserResponse);
}
From this single file, gRPC can then automatically generate the client and server code in various languages like ☕Java, Go, or Python.
Advantages
| Feature | Explanation |
|---|---|
| High Performance | It offers extremely fast transmission speeds by using HTTP/2 and a binary data format (Protocol Buffers). |
| Bidirectional Streaming | It allows for real-time, two-way data exchange between the client and the server simultaneously. |
| Multi-Language Support | Its built-in code generation tools enable seamless communication between services written in different programming languages. |
| API Spec & Code Sync | The .proto file acts as a single source of truth that defines the API contract and generates synchronized client and server code. |
Disadvantages
- Limited Browser Support: Direct support in web browsers is incomplete, making it difficult to use for standard frontend applications without a proxy layer.
- It’s difficult to check the request + response in real time
- REST API - you can check easily on Chrome DevTool
- Difficult to Debug: Because gRPC uses a binary format, the data is not human-readable. This makes debugging network traffic challenging without specialized tools.
- Not Ideal for External APIs: It is generally not suitable for public-facing APIs, where broader compatibility and ease of use for third-party developers are more important.
- Used when internal servers are communicating with each other