What is gRPC?

gRPC is an open-source remote procedure call framework developed by Google, designed to enable efficient, high-performance communication between client and server applications using protocol buffers for data serialization. It excels in scenarios requiring real-time communication and improved network efficiency by leveraging the HTTP/2 transport protocol, which supports bi-directional streaming and multiplexing. While gRPC offers advantages such as automatic code generation and strict contracts that help prevent errors, it faces challenges with browser compatibility and requires more complex testing procedures. Typical use cases include replacing REST APIs in non-browser environments, facilitating inter-service communication across different programming languages, and optimizing payload formats. Major companies like Netflix, Uber, and Dropbox utilize gRPC for its performance benefits, and platforms like Koyeb are making it easier to deploy gRPC applications globally. However, gRPC's lack of browser support necessitates workarounds like gRPC-Web or gRPC Gateway for web applications.