gRPC offers performance advantages over REST for internal microservices communication. Binary Protocol Buffers encoding reduces payload size and parsing overhead. Strong typing through proto definitions catches integration errors at compile time. Streaming enables efficient real-time data flows.
When gRPC Fits
Internal service-to-service communication benefits most from gRPC's efficiency. High-throughput systems see meaningful performance improvements. Streaming use cases—real-time updates, file transfers, bidirectional communication—leverage gRPC's native streaming support.
- Use gRPC for internal microservices where performance matters
- Keep REST for public APIs where browser compatibility is required
- Define proto schemas as contracts enabling independent service development
- Implement proper error handling using gRPC status codes and error details
- Consider gRPC-web for browser clients needing gRPC backend communication
Proto Design Best Practices
Proto schema design impacts API usability and evolution. Use meaningful field names and numbers. Reserve field numbers for removed fields to prevent reuse issues. Design messages for forward and backward compatibility supporting independent service deployment.