gRPC is a high-performance RPC framework using HTTP/2 and Protocol Buffers. Protobuf (binary serialisation) is 3-10x smaller and faster than JSON. Code generation from .proto files produces type-safe clients and servers in any language. RPC types: unary (one request, one response), server streaming, client streaming, bidirectional streaming. Ideal for internal microservice communication where latency and throughput matter more than browser compatibility.
Four gRPC RPC patterns and their use cases.
The .proto file is the single source of truth for your service contract. Generated code eliminates hand-written client libraries. Protobuf field numbering enables backward-compatible schema evolution — never reuse field numbers.
gRPC bidirectional streaming is the right choice for chat, live collaboration, game state sync, and any feature requiring push from server to client. REST long-polling is an inefficient workaround.
grpc-gateway generates a reverse-proxy HTTP server from .proto annotations. External clients use REST; internal services use gRPC. One implementation, two interfaces, no code duplication.
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