Catalog
technology#Architecture#Software Engineering#Microservices#Remote Procedure Calls

gRPC

gRPC is a powerful RPC framework from Google that efficiently provides remote procedure capabilities.

gRPC enables communication between different services across networks.
Established
Medium

Classification

  • Medium
  • Technical
  • Architectural
  • Intermediate

Technical context

KubernetesIstioDocker

Principles & goals

Use open standards.Ensure interoperability.Optimize performance.
Build
Enterprise

Use cases & scenarios

Compromises

  • Lack of documentation can lead to misunderstandings.
  • Potential issues with backward compatibility.
  • Dependencies on third-party tools.
  • Regular performance measurements.
  • Conduct security reviews.
  • Keep documentation up to date.

I/O & resources

  • Service configuration
  • Network specifications
  • API interfaces
  • Connected Microservices
  • Real-time data transfer
  • Successful integration

Description

gRPC enables communication between different services across networks. It utilizes HTTP/2 for transmission, ensuring high efficiency and speed. gRPC is ideal for microservices architectures and supports multiple programming languages.

✔

  • High efficiency in communication.
  • Support for multiple programming languages.
  • Easy integration into existing systems.

✖

  • Complex setup.
  • Requires a good understanding of gRPC.
  • Not suitable for simple projects.

  • Response Time

    The time taken to respond to a request.

  • Throughput

    The number of requests processed in a given timeframe.

  • Error Rate

    The proportion of failed requests relative to total requests.

Google Cloud

Google Cloud uses gRPC for many of its internal services and APIs.

Netflix

Netflix uses gRPC for efficient data transfer among microservices.

Docker

Docker components utilize gRPC for their communication.

1

Planning the architecture

2

Developing the API specifications

3

Testing the system and troubleshooting

⚠️ Technical debt & bottlenecks

  • Deprecated APIs that are no longer maintained.
  • Insufficient tests for older implementations.
  • Lack of documentation on new features.
Network LatencyIntegration ComplexityResource Consumption
  • Insufficient error handling strategies.
  • Ignoring timeout settings.
  • Incorrect use of streaming capabilities.
  • Complex troubleshooting of connection issues.
  • Dependency on low network bandwidth.
  • Overlooking security aspects.
Knowledge in API designExperience with network protocolsKnowledge in microservices architectures
Customizability of required services.Performance requirements.Security standards.
  • • Limited support by certain programming languages.
  • • Network requirements for optimal performance.
  • • Dependency on external libraries.