gRPC vs tRPC

The microservices whisperer: blazing fast, but good luck debugging that binary blob meets typescript's love letter to api developers. Here's our take.

gRPC

Nice Pick

The microservices whisperer: blazing fast, but good luck debugging that binary blob.

Pros

• High-performance with HTTP/2 and Protocol Buffers
• Built-in support for streaming and load balancing
• Strong typing and code generation across multiple languages

Cons

• Binary payloads make debugging a nightmare
• Steep learning curve for Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2 quirks

tRPC

TypeScript's love letter to API developers. Write types once, cry about mismatched schemas never.

Pros

• End-to-end type safety without code generation
• Seamless autocompletion and real-time error prevention
• Reduces boilerplate by sharing types between client and server

Cons

• Tightly coupled to TypeScript, limiting use in non-TypeScript projects
• Can feel like magic, making debugging more opaque when things go wrong

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. gRPC is a frameworks while tRPC is a ai coding tools. We picked gRPC based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

gRPC wins

Based on overall popularity. gRPC is more widely used, but tRPC excels in its own space.