Understanding the Difference Between gRPC and REST API

When designing web services, developers often encounter two prominent communication protocols: gRPC and REST API. While both serve as mediums for communication between clients and servers, their differences in architecture, performance, and use cases often make one more suitable than the other for specific scenarios. Let’s delve into the distinctions and help you make an informed decision for your next project.

What is REST API?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is a software architectural style that uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE for communication. REST APIs typically exchange data in human-readable formats such as JSON or XML.

Key Features of REST:

1. Stateless Communication: Each request from a client to a server must contain all the information needed to understand and process it.
2. Resource-Oriented: Resources are identified by URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), and interactions with these resources use standard HTTP methods.
3. Widely Supported: REST APIs are universally supported across programming languages and tools.
4. Ease of Use: Human-readable JSON or XML formats make it easier for developers to debug and interact with APIs.

What is gRPC?

gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Call) is a modern, high-performance framework developed by Google. It uses…