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gRPC VS websocketd

Compare gRPC VS websocketd and see what are their differences

gRPC logo gRPC

Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, Remote Procedure Call (RPC), and Service Discovery

websocketd logo websocketd

Turn any program that uses STDIN/STDOUT into a WebSocket server. Like inetd, but for WebSockets.
  • gRPC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-27
  • websocketd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-27

gRPC features and specs

  • Performance
    gRPC uses Protocol Buffers, which are more efficient in terms of serialization and deserialization compared to text-based formats like JSON. This leads to lower CPU usage and faster transmission, making it suitable for high-performance applications.
  • Bi-directional Streaming
    gRPC supports bi-directional streaming, enabling both client and server to send a series of messages through a single connection. This is particularly useful for real-time communication applications.
  • Strongly Typed APIs
    gRPC uses Protocol Buffers for defining service methods and message types, providing a strong type system that can catch potential issues at compile-time rather than runtime.
  • Cross-language Support
    gRPC supports a wide range of programming languages, including but not limited to Java, C++, Python, Go, and C#. This allows for flexible integration in polyglot environments.
  • Built-in Deadlines/Timeouts
    gRPC natively supports deadlines and timeouts to help manage long-running calls and avoid indefinite blocking, improving robustness and reliability.
  • Automatic Code Generation
    gRPC provides tools for automatic code generation from .proto files, reducing boilerplate code and speeding up the development process.

Possible disadvantages of gRPC

  • Learning Curve
    The complexity of gRPC and Protocol Buffers may present a steep learning curve for developers who are not familiar with these technologies.
  • Limited Browser Support
    gRPC was not originally designed with browser support in mind, making it challenging to directly call gRPC services from web applications without additional tools like gRPC-Web.
  • Verbose Configuration
    Setting up gRPC and defining .proto files can be more verbose compared to simpler RESTful APIs, which might be a deterrent for smaller projects.
  • HTTP/2 Requirement
    gRPC relies on HTTP/2 for transport, which can be problematic in environments where HTTP/2 is not supported or requires additional configuration.
  • Limited Monitoring and Debugging Tools
    Compared to REST, there are fewer tools available for monitoring, debugging, and testing gRPC services, which might complicate troubleshooting and performance tuning.
  • Protobuf Ecosystem Requirement
    Depending on the language, integrating Protocol Buffers might require additional dependencies and tooling, which could add to the maintenance overhead.

websocketd features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Websocketd is straightforward to use, turning any local executable into a WebSocket server. It requires minimal configuration and setup, making it accessible for beginners.
  • Language Agnostic
    Since websocketd can wrap any executable, developers can use it with any programming language they prefer, allowing for flexibility in choosing the right tools for their projects.
  • Lightweight
    Websocketd is a lightweight tool with minimal overhead, making it ideal for projects that require efficient WebSocket communication without the need for a full-featured server.
  • Rapid Prototyping
    The ease of setting up websocketd allows developers to quickly prototype WebSocket applications and test new ideas without significant investment in infrastructure.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, websocketd benefits from community contributions and transparency, ensuring continuous improvement and trustworthiness of the software.

Possible disadvantages of websocketd

  • Limited Features
    While its simplicity is an advantage, websocketd's feature set is minimal. It does not provide advanced capabilities such as authentication, performance monitoring, or compression.
  • Lack of Built-in Scalability
    Websocketd doesn't come with built-in support for high scalability or distributed systems, which can be a limitation for applications needing to handle a large number of simultaneous connections.
  • No Native HTTP Support
    Websocketd is focused solely on WebSockets, so it lacks native support for serving regular HTTP endpoints, which may necessitate additional infrastructure for projects requiring mixed communication.
  • Manual Process Management
    Developers have to handle process management manually, which includes ensuring the stability of wrapped programs and addressing issues that arise from resource limits.
  • Community Size
    Compared to more established tools, websocketd has a smaller community, which can lead to fewer resources in terms of documentation, tutorials, and community support.

gRPC videos

gRPC, Protobufs and Go... OH MY! An introduction to building client/server systems with gRPC

More videos:

  • Review - gRPC with Mark Rendle
  • Review - GraphQL, gRPC or REST? Resolving the API Developer's Dilemma - Rob Crowley - NDC Oslo 2020
  • Review - Taking Full Advantage of gRPC
  • Review - gRPC Web: It’s All About Communication by Alex Borysov & Yevgen Golubenko
  • Review - tRPC, gRPC, GraphQL or REST: when to use what?

websocketd videos

No websocketd videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to gRPC and websocketd)
Web Servers
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
81 81%
19% 19
APIs
0 0%
100% 100
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare gRPC and websocketd

gRPC Reviews

SignalR Alternatives
SignalR is basically used to allow connection between client and server or vice-versa. It is a type of bi-directional communication between both the client and server. SignalR is compatible with web sockets and many other connections, which help in the direct push of content over the server. There are many alternatives for signalR that are used, like Firebase, pusher,...
Source: www.educba.com

websocketd Reviews

We have no reviews of websocketd yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, gRPC seems to be a lot more popular than websocketd. While we know about 100 links to gRPC, we've tracked only 4 mentions of websocketd. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

gRPC mentions (100)

  • This is Cloud Run: Configuration
    For gRPC services, Cloud Run supports gRPC health checking probes following the gRPC health checking protocol. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Making Sure Your Prompt Will Be There For You When You Need It
    Issues don’t always show up directly in code, either. We have Gemini generating build artifacts, like package.json. In the case below, it was so eager to include the gRPC package that it listed the package 3 times in different ways, including one that has been deprecated. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • gRPC vs REST
    gRPC8 is an open-source RPC framework, that can run in any environment. Grpc was recently included in the .Net core platform thereby easily accessible by thousands of developers. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Top 10 Programming Trends and Languages to Watch in 2025
    Sonja Keerl, CTO of MACH Alliance, states, "Composable architectures enable enterprises to innovate faster by assembling best-in-class solutions." Developers must embrace technologies like GraphQL, gRPC, and OpenAPI to remain competitive. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Getting Started With gRPC in Golang
    gRPC is a framework for building fast, scalable APIs, especially in distributed systems like microservices. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

websocketd mentions (4)

  • ht: Headless Terminal
    Reminds me quite a bit of websocketd as well, which converts a stdin/stdout program to a websocket: http://websocketd.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Structured Logging with Slog
    I hadn't even considered collecting traces/spans in this way yet, and have taken the approach of "stuff outputting logs in JSON format to stderr/local file". I usually end up writing a (temporary, structured) log message with the relevant span tags, but wouldn't it would be much better to run the actual trace/span code and be able to verify it locally without the ad-hoc log message? The prototype I built is a web... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • WebSocket to TCP bridge for game servers? Alternative to websockify?
    I also used to use this (http://websocketd.com/) along with netcat(1) before just biting the bullet and writing my own websocket library for our server as we needed to scale up slightly. Source: over 3 years ago
  • C or C++ as web app backend?
    Http://websocketd.com/ (Runs command line C or C++ programs as websocket programs, similar to inetd / CGI). Source: almost 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing gRPC and websocketd, you can also consider the following products

Apache Thrift - An interface definition language and communication protocol for creating cross-language services.

soketi - Your simple, fast, and resilient open-source WS server.

GraphQL - GraphQL is a data query language and runtime to request and deliver data to mobile and web apps.

Hook Relay - So you want to add webhooks to your app, and after having worked with the webhooks that Stripe provides, you want yours to be as great as theirs.

Docker Hub - Docker Hub is a cloud-based registry service

Pusher - Pusher is a hosted API for quickly, easily and securely adding scalable realtime functionality via WebSockets to web and mobile apps.