Remote Procedure Protocols

These protocols enable remote method invocation between distributed systems using a structured request–response model, abstracting network details and presenting them as local procedure calls.

Protocol

Description

Use Case

gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call)

High-performance RPC framework using HTTP/2 and Protocol Buffers. Enables efficient, strongly typed client-server communication.

Microservices communication and API design

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)

Protocol for exchanging structured XML-based messages over HTTP, SMTP, etc. Highly extensible with formal standards for security, transactions, and reliability.

Enterprise web services with strict contracts and reliability requirements

JSON-RPC

Lightweight remote procedure call protocol encoded in JSON. Simple, transport-agnostic, and widely used in JavaScript environments.

Browser-based apps, lightweight APIs, and WebSocket/HTTP integrations

Spec: https://grpc.io/docs/ Transport: HTTP/2 IDL: Protocol Buffers

Main Features:

  • High-performance RPC using HTTP/2 and Protobuf

  • Supports streaming (client, server, bi-directional)

  • Strongly typed interfaces with cross-language support

  • Ideal for low-latency, high-throughput communication

Use Cases:

  • Microservice-to-microservice communication

  • API development for modern cloud apps

  • Backend communication in containerized systems

Alternative Protocols:

  • REST over HTTP – Widely used but less efficient

  • Thrift – Similar RPC protocol from Apache

  • SOAP – Heavier, XML-based RPC mechanism

Let us learn more about gRPC:

Jump to “gRPC”

Spec: W3C SOAP 1.1/1.2 Transport: HTTP, SMTP, more Format: XML-based messaging

Main Features:

  • XML-based RPC protocol with formal specifications

  • Operates over multiple transports (HTTP, SMTP, etc.)

  • Extensible: supports WS-* standards for security, transactions, and more

  • Built-in error handling and strict message format

Use Cases:

  • Enterprise applications with strict reliability, security, and contract requirements

  • Integration with legacy systems and third-party SOAP-based APIs

  • B2B communication and enterprise service buses (ESB)

Alternative Protocols:

  • REST – Simpler, modern alternative for web APIs

  • gRPC – Efficient, strongly typed communication

  • JSON-RPC – Lightweight RPC for web apps

Let us learn more about SOAP:

Jump to “SOAP”

Spec: JSON-RPC 2.0 Specification (https://www.jsonrpc.org/specification) Transport: Transport-agnostic (HTTP, WebSockets, etc.) Format: JSON

Main Features:

  • Simple, stateless RPC using JSON

  • Lightweight and human-readable message format

  • Supports notifications (no response) and batch requests

  • Transport-independent (used over HTTP, WebSockets, pipes)

Use Cases:

  • Lightweight client-server communication in web applications

  • JavaScript-based frontend-backend RPC

  • WebSocket-based APIs for real-time interaction

Alternative Protocols:

  • gRPC – Strongly typed and binary for high-performance RPC

  • REST – Resource-based design for stateless communication

  • SOAP – Heavier, enterprise-grade protocol with strict specs

Let us learn more about JSON-RPC:

Jump to “JSON-RPC”