Now I Know Why Most People Don’t Use gRPC

Summary

In this video, the speaker compares gRPC and REST, two popular communication protocols for service interaction. While REST is widely used and human-readable, gRPC excels in performance, real-time data exchange, and service-to-service communication. The video explains how gRPC, based on HTTP/2 and protocol buffers, offers advantages like faster data transfer and bidirectional streaming. However, gRPC can be more complex and tightly coupled, making it less ideal for external client communication. The speaker advises using gRPC for internal microservices and REST for public APIs, with the option to combine both for optimized performance.

Takeaways

• 😀 gRPC is an alternative to REST for managing service communication, offering features like faster data transfer and protocol buffers for smaller data size.
• 😀 REST is more commonly used and easier for developers to implement, as it defines a consistent, uniform interface for interactions between clients and servers.
• 😀 gRPC uses HTTP/2 for improved performance, including features like multiplexing and real-time bidirectional streaming, which REST lacks.
• 😀 REST interfaces are entity-oriented, focusing on CRUD operations, while gRPC is service-oriented, with strict contracts and better encapsulation.
• 😀 gRPC requires code generation based on proto files, while REST interfaces often rely on manual configuration, which can lead to inconsistencies.
• 😀 While gRPC is great for internal services, it's not ideal for external client communication due to browser compatibility issues with HTTP/2.
• 😀 The performance of REST can be impacted by verbose HTTP requests, headers, and larger data payloads, making it less optimal for low-latency applications.
• 😀 gRPC forces alignment with principles like single responsibility and strict contracts, which can improve maintainability and debugging but also lead to tighter coupling.
• 😀 For real-time applications like chat or IoT, gRPC is preferred over REST, as REST does not natively support real-time communication.
• 😀 Depending on the use case, gRPC may be combined with REST—internal services may use gRPC for efficiency, while external communication may rely on REST for its human-readable and flexible nature.

Q & A

What is the main difference between gRPC and REST?

The main difference between gRPC and REST is that gRPC uses remote procedure calls (RPCs) and Protocol Buffers for data serialization, which makes it faster and more efficient. In contrast, REST uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, and PUT, and typically relies on JSON for data, making it more human-readable but less performant in certain cases.

Why is gRPC faster than REST?

gRPC is faster than REST because it uses Protocol Buffers (a binary format), which is smaller and more efficient than JSON, the text-based format typically used in REST. Additionally, gRPC operates over HTTP/2, which allows multiplexing of requests over the same connection, reducing latency.

When should you use gRPC instead of REST?

gRPC is ideal for internal service-to-service communication, especially in microservice architectures, where high performance, low latency, and real-time communication are needed. It is also beneficial in systems that require bidirectional streaming or full duplex communication, such as chat applications or IoT systems.

What is the role of Protocol Buffers in gRPC?

Protocol Buffers (Proto) are used in gRPC as the interface description language. They define the data structure and the methods to be called between services. Proto files are used to generate client and server code in various programming languages, ensuring that all services comply with the same contract.

What are the advantages of REST over gRPC?

REST has several advantages over gRPC, including ease of use, widespread adoption, and flexibility. It is simpler to debug and more human-readable because it uses JSON, making it easier to work with for external-facing services. REST is also less tightly coupled, which reduces dependencies between client and server.

What challenges are associated with using gRPC?

Some challenges with gRPC include tight coupling between services, as both need to use the same Proto files. This can lead to synchronization issues when the Proto files are not kept in sync. Additionally, gRPC’s learning curve and reliance on code generation tools can be difficult for new users to grasp.

How does gRPC handle real-time communication?

gRPC handles real-time communication through bidirectional streaming. It allows both the client and the server to send a continuous stream of messages to each other, which makes it suitable for real-time applications like chat systems or data-intensive IoT devices. REST, in contrast, does not support real-time communication natively.

Can gRPC and REST be used together in a project?

Yes, gRPC and REST can be used together. A common pattern is to use gRPC for internal communication between microservices, where performance and efficiency are critical, and use REST for external communication with clients, where simplicity and readability are more important.

What is the role of HTTP/2 in gRPC?

HTTP/2 in gRPC enables features like multiplexing, which allows multiple requests to be sent over a single connection without blocking. This helps reduce latency and improves the performance of communication between services, particularly in high-throughput systems.

Why is gRPC not ideal for external communication with web browsers?

gRPC is not ideal for external communication with web browsers because most browsers do not natively support HTTP/2. This requires the use of a proxy or an additional package like gRPC-Web to enable gRPC communication in web clients, making it more complex compared to REST, which is natively supported in browsers.