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gRPC

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

gRPC

gRPC Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether gRPC is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • gRPC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-05-27

Features & Specs

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Built-in Deadlines/Timeouts

    gRPC natively supports deadlines and timeouts to help manage long-running calls and avoid indefinite blocking, improving robustness and reliability.

  6. Automatic Code Generation

    gRPC provides tools for automatic code generation from .proto files, reducing boilerplate code and speeding up the development process.

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Videos

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

gRPC with Mark Rendle

GraphQL, gRPC or REST? Resolving the API Developer's Dilemma - Rob Crowley - NDC Oslo 2020

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about gRPC and what they use it for.
  • This is Cloud Run: Configuration
    For gRPC services, Cloud Run supports gRPC health checking probes following the gRPC health checking protocol. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Making Sure Your Prompt Will Be There For You When You Need It
    Issues donโ€™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 / 4 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 / about 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
  • Should You Ditch REST for gRPC?
    Recently, I started working on extending the support for gRPC in GoFr, a microservices oriented, Golang framework also listed in CNCF Landscape. As I was diving into this, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share my findings through a detailed article. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Unlocking DuckDB from Anywhere - A Guide to Remote Access with Apache Arrow and Flight RPC (gRPC)
    Apache Arrow Flight RPC : Arrow Flight is an RPC framework for high-performance data services based on Arrow data, and is built on top of gRPC and the IPC format. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • JSON vs FlatBuffers vs Protocol Buffers
    Generally used in conjunction with gRPC (but not necessarily), Protobuf is a binary protocol that significantly increases performance compared to the text format of JSON. But it "suffers" from the same problem as JSON: we need to parse it to a data structure of our language. For example, in Go:. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Performance and Scalability for Database-Backed Applications
    We can take the previously mentioned idea of partitioning the database further by breaking up an application into multiple applications, each with its own database. In this case each application will communicate with the others via something like REST, RPC (e.g. gRPC), or a message queue (e.g. Redis, Kafka, or RabbitMQ). - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Text-based language processing enhanced with AI/ML
    Aside from the obvious differences in client library nomenclature and use of different credentials, API usage is fairly similar. Not visually obvious is that the older platform client library calls the REST versions of the GCP APIs whereas the newer product client libraries call the gRPC versions which generally perform better... Yet another reason why the product client libraries are always recommended. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Fastly and the Linux kernel
    The open source projects Fastly uses and the foundations we partner with are vital to Fastlyโ€™s mission and success. Here's an unscientific list of projects and organizations supported by the Linux Foundation that we use and love include: The Linux Kernel, Kubernetes, containerd, eBPF, Falco, OpenAPI Initiative, ESLint, Express, Fastify, Lodash, Mocha, Node.js, Prometheus, Jenkins, OpenTelemetry, Envoy, etcd, Helm,... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Best Practices for Building Microservices with NestJS
    Choose a consistent communication protocol for inter-service communication. Common protocols include HTTP, gRPC, and message brokers like RabbitMQ or Kafka. NestJS supports various communication strategies, allowing you to choose the one that best fits your needs. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Why Did Google Choose To Implement gRPC Using HTTP/2?
    gRPC is an open-source high-performance RPC framework developed by Google. The design goal of gRPC is to run in any environment, supporting pluggable load balancing, tracing, health checking, and authentication. It not only supports service calls within and across data centers but is also suitable for the last mile of distributed computing, connecting devices, mobile applications, and browsers to backend services.... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Difference between GraphQL, REST, and gRPC
    And, gRPC is a high-performance, open-source protocol used for creating APIs. It uses Google's Protocol Buffers as a data format and provides support for streaming and bi-directional communication. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Golang: out-of-box backpressure handling with gRPC, proven by a Grafana dashboard
    gRPC, built on HTTP/2, inherently supports flow control. The server can push updates, but it must also respect flow control signals from the client, ensuring that it doesn't send data faster than what the client can handle. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Delving Deeper: Enriching Microservices with Golang with CloudWeGo
    While gRPC and Apache Thrift have served the microservice architecture well, CloudWeGo's advanced features and performance metrics set it apart as a promising open source solution for the future. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Dart on the Server: Exploring Server-Side Dart Technologies in 2024
    The Dart implementation of gRPC which puts mobile and HTTP/2 first. It's built and maintained by the Dart team. Grpc is a high-performance RPC (remote procedure call) framework that is optimized for efficient data transfer. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • How to Build & Deploy Scalable Microservices with NodeJS, TypeScript and Docker || A Comprehesive Guide
    gRPC is a high-performance, open-source RPC (Remote Procedure Call) framework initially developed by Google. It uses Protocol Buffers for serialization and supports bidirectional streaming. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Actual SSH over HTTPS
    In general, tunneling through HTTP2 turns out to be a great choice. There is a RPC protocol built on top of HTTP2: gRPC[1]. This is because HTTP2 is great at exploiting a TCP connection to transmit and receive multiple data structures concurrently - multiplexing. There may not be a reason to use HTTP3 however, as QUIC already provides multiplexing. I expect that in the future most communications will be over... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Level UP your RDBMS Productivity in GO
    I have decided to use gRPC because it's a very simple protocol and it's very easy to use. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Create Production-Ready SDKs with Goa
    Goa generates gRPC code for you. Grpc is an efficient alternative to plain HTTP, over which you can provide your API. It requires the use of protocol buffers, made by Google. Our repository already provides the protoc app for you, in completed_app/lib. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of gRPC

gRPC, or Google Remote Procedure Call, has become a notable contender in the realm of communication protocols, particularly in the development of APIs and microservices architecture. This high-performance, open-source RPC framework is designed to facilitate efficient communication between client and server applications. Based on the context of recent product mentions and discussions, several key aspects shape public opinion about gRPC which we will delve into below.

Technical Excellence and Versatility

High Performance and Scalability: gRPC is widely recognized for its high performance, attributing this to its use of HTTP/2 for transport and Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) for serialization. This combination allows gRPC to support bi-directional streaming and multiplexing, making it ideal for microservices and distributed systems where efficiency and performance are paramount. Its capacity to handle large-scale data transfers and bi-directional streaming enhances its appeal in environments that demand real-time data exchange.

Comprehensive Multi-language Support: gRPC stands out for its extensive language support, catering to a diverse array of programming environments, which is critical for organizations with polyglot architectures. The support extends to popular programming languages like Go, Dart, Rust, and Node.js, reflecting its applicability across different technological stacks.

Adoption in Microservices and Beyond

Favored in Microservices Architecture: In posts discussing microservices, gRPC emerges alongside HTTP/REST and message brokers like RabbitMQ. The framework is often highlighted for its streamlined communication capabilities amongst services in a microservices architecture. It supports features such as load balancing, tracing, and authentication, which are essential for robust, distributed applications.

Comparison with REST and GraphQL: In the context of API management, gRPC is frequently compared to REST and GraphQL. While REST remains popular due to its simplicity and established ecosystem, gRPC is often lauded for its superior performance and more structured data model with Protobuf. Developers point out gRPCโ€™s efficiency, especially for use cases involving real-time updates and streaming data.

Industry Adoption and Integration

Adoption by Major Tech Players: gRPC's presence is noted in the technological stacks of leading organizations. It is part of numerous open-source projects and enjoys integration in platforms advocating for more composable architectures. This significantly boosts its credibility and demonstrates industry trust in its capabilities.

Integration with Cloud Services: The integration of gRPC with cloud services, including those by Google, further enhances its appeal. The frameworkโ€™s ability to integrate with modern cloud-native technologies and its endorsement by entities such as the Linux Foundation underscore its readiness for enterprise-grade applications.

Points of Consideration

Despite its advantages, gRPC does have some limitations, particularly when interfacing with browsers directly, necessitating additional configurations like gRPC-Web for web clients. Moreover, learning curves associated with Protobuf and gRPC configurations might pose challenges to teams accustomed to RESTful conventions.

Conclusion

Overall, gRPC is lauded for its technical robustness, high performance, and suitability for complex, distributed systems. It continues to gain traction amidst the push for modern architectures that require efficient, scalable solutions. Its comprehensive support across languages and platforms and adaptability to various communication needs make it an attractive choice for developers looking to build future-ready applications.

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Is gRPC good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss gRPC here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.