REST vs gRPC

The architectural style that made APIs boringly reliable, but sometimes too rigid for modern needs meets the microservices whisperer: blazing fast, but good luck debugging that binary blob. Here's our take.

REST

The architectural style that made APIs boringly reliable, but sometimes too rigid for modern needs.

Pros

• Stateless design simplifies scaling and caching
• Uses standard HTTP methods for predictable operations
• Widely supported across languages and platforms

Cons

• Can lead to over-fetching or under-fetching data
• Lacks built-in real-time capabilities

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

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. REST is a ai coding tools while gRPC is a frameworks. 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 REST excels in its own space.