What is gRPC
Key idea:
gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Calls) is a high-performance open-source RPC framework from Google (2015). Uses Protocol Buffers for serialization (5-10× more compact than JSON), HTTP/2 for transport, supports bidirectional streaming. Popular for service-to-service communication in microservices. Not usable in browsers without a grpc-web adapter.
Below: details, example, related terms, FAQ.
Details
- Interface definition: .proto files describing service and messages
- Serialization: Protocol Buffers (binary, compact)
- Transport: HTTP/2 (multiplexing, bidirectional)
- Streaming: unary, server-streaming, client-streaming, bidirectional
- Client code generation for 10+ languages (Go, Java, Python, C++, Ruby, Node.js)
Example
service UserService {
rpc GetUser (GetUserRequest) returns (User);
rpc ListUsers (Empty) returns (stream User); // server-streaming
}Related Terms
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Frequently Asked Questions
gRPC vs REST?
gRPC — binary, fast, backed by Protocol Buffers; for internal microservices. REST — JSON, human-readable, universal for public APIs.
Does gRPC work in the browser?
Not directly — browsers lack HTTP/2 frame control. Use grpc-web (proxy) or gRPC-Gateway (REST-to-gRPC).
How to debug gRPC?
grpcurl — curl-like CLI. Or BloomRPC GUI. <a href="/en/check">Enterno HTTP checker</a> helps with REST-gateway endpoints.