As you may know, gRPC tRPC sound almost identical. Yet, there are some key differences when comparing them.
Both are pretty popular frameworks adopted by tech giants and small businesses alike.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that one is better than the other. You may want to focus on one or the other, depending on the project's requirements and relevant endpoints.
Due to these differences, this blog post will help you understand everything about tRPC and gRPC. Let’s go!
What is tRPC?
For starters, tRPC (TypeScript Remote Procedure Call) is a cutting-edge tool. Its main focus is on handling client-to-server communication (APIs).
tRPC leverages strong typing, static typing and automatic code generation. As a result, it reduces boilerplate code and enhances developer productivity in Software Development.
Since its launch, developers have often looked at it as more efficient than REST and simpler than the GraphQL schema.
To sum it up, tRPC implements Remote Procedure Calls as its client-server communication paradigm using TypeScript.
How does RPC handle inter-service communication? Well, it eases API calls using TypeScript functions or procedures across a network boundary.
By implementing tRPC, teams can use TypeScript functions in the Front End (client) to make requests to the Back End (server).
These operations allow developers to get responses that contain only the requested data, which is sometimes impossible with REST.
Some other methods, like GraphQL (a query language for APIs), can also accomplish this but require learning a whole new language.
When to Use tRPC?
Almost all projects require some level of client-to-server communication. Does that mean that it’s always best to use tRPC? Well, not quite.
The major con of tRPC is that it requires TypeScript on both the front and back end to achieve seamless integration.
As a result, it all depends on the tools you use for your project. It’s still a good idea to use tRPC to implement TypeScript-related options like React, Node, Next, or Nest.
What’s more, to get all the benefits from tRPC, you’ll also have to organize your project as a monorepo.
tRPC simplifies communication between front and backend teams. Rather than having to agree to any terms to handle API endpoints, they can leverage TS functions.
tRPC’s structure can be particularly beneficial for projects that require scaling or constant updates.
What is gRPC?
gRPC is an open-source RPC framework developed by Google—which explains the “g” in its name!
Instead of TypeScript, it uses Protocol Buffers as its interface definition language with the HTTP/2 protocol. These features make gRPC robust, modern, efficient and convenient.
Further, gRPC offers error message and status code handling tools with binary serialization.
Its Compact Wire Protocol with HTTP/2 works as a " contract," defining the standards for high-performance client-server communication.
That includes the data structure and its types, schemas and fields to streamline communication methods.
Unlike tRPC, gRPC doesn’t force you to stick to TypeScript, meaning it’s language-neutral. Due to this pro, it does wonders with a wide range of languages and tools, including Python, Ruby, C#, C++, Java and PHP. You can also use it with Node, which supports TypeScript.
Google built gRPC to improve efficiency, simplicity and scalability in Software Development. To do so, it added features like load-balancing, tracing, strict typing and health checking.
It’s worth noting that gRPC shines in large apps with many complex back-end functionalities. This focus is especially relevant if they involve microservices ecosystems!
When to Use gRPC?
Remember we mentioned that tRPC and gRPC implementation serve two different purposes?
While gRPC is a robust HTTP-based connecting approach, it may not be the best option for client-server communication. For instance, gRPC can be much slower than REST APIs.
gRPC's main purpose is to ensure seamless and efficient communication between microservices architectures. In other words, several small, independent back-end apps.
Can gRPC implementation handle client and server communication? It technically can, but you probably shouldn’t use it for that.
gRPC uses the HTTP/2, and despite its higher message transmission than the HTTP 1.1 protocol, not many browsers support it.
There are some tools to “translate” HTTP/2 to HTTP 1.1 and connect the client and server using gRPC APIs. However, that would make things way more complex than they must be.
Instead, you should probably use the high-performance, open-source framework to connect Microservices Architectures.
Yes, you can also do that with REST APIs, but they are limited to request-response communication patterns.
gRPC comes in as a more efficient way due to its binary serialization format of Protocol Buffers for bi-directional streaming.
With gRPC, message transmission speed is around five times faster than in JSON or XML message formats!
Plus, it's highly efficient and language-agnostic for extensive projects. These features make it great for products requiring fast performance, scalability and diverse stacks.
tRPC vs gRPC Protocols
Conclusion
tRPC and gRPC are major frameworks for building blazing-fast, scalable, full-stack applications.
First, tRPC is simple and flexible, aiming to simplify cross-platform communication and improve developer productivity. As a result, it’s often best for relatively small or medium-sized brownfield projects that use TypeScript in the front and back ends.
On the other hand, consider gRPC in scenarios where performance and scalability are critical. For instance, real-time applications that need faster communication and are designed with a Microservice Architecture in mind.
Overall, both tools are excellent for Product Development and help streamline the Development Lifecycle of modern, microservices-based application architecture.
Looking to leverage tRPC vs gRPC to gain a competitive edge? Get in touch!
