RPC vs GraphQL

Developers should learn and use RPC when building distributed systems, microservices architectures, or client-server applications that require efficient and transparent communication between components running on different machines or processes meets developers should learn graphql when building modern web or mobile applications that require flexible, efficient data fetching, such as in complex frontend-backend integrations or microservices architectures. Here's our take.

RPC

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use RPC when building distributed systems, microservices architectures, or client-server applications that require efficient and transparent communication between components running on different machines or processes

Pros

• It is particularly useful in scenarios like cloud computing, where services need to interact seamlessly, or in large-scale applications where performance and reliability are critical, such as in financial systems or real-time data processing
• Related to: grpc, apache-thrift

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

GraphQL

Developers should learn GraphQL when building modern web or mobile applications that require flexible, efficient data fetching, such as in complex frontend-backend integrations or microservices architectures

Pros

• It's particularly useful for scenarios where clients need to avoid multiple round-trips to servers or when APIs must evolve without breaking existing queries
• Related to: apollo-client, relay

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. RPC is a concept while GraphQL is a tool. We picked RPC based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

RPC wins

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