What Is gRPC and How It Works

gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Calls) is a high-performance, open-source universal RPC framework developed by Google. It’s widely used in microservice architectures to enable fast, reliable communication between services. In this article, we’ll explore how gRPC works, how it’s different from REST, and how to implement a simple example using Protocol Buffers. 1. Why gRPC? gRPC is designed for speed and efficiency, especially in distributed systems. Advantages: Compact binary data format (Protocol Buffers) HTTP/2 transport: multiplexed streams and better performance Built-in code generation for multiple languages Strong typing and contracts 2. gRPC vs REST Feature gRPC REST (JSON) Data Format Protocol Buffers (binary) JSON (text-based) Transport HTTP/2 HTTP/1.1 Performance Very fast Slower due to verbosity Tooling Auto-codegen via .proto Manual Streaming Bi-directional support Limited 3. How gRPC Works Step 1: Define Service in .proto File syntax = "proto3"; service Greeter { rpc SayHello (HelloRequest) returns (HelloReply); } message HelloRequest { string name = 1; } message HelloReply { string message = 1; } Step 2: Generate Code Using protoc: ...

August 13, 2025 · 2 min · 274 words · DevOps Insights

Gateway API vs Ingress: What's the Difference?

Gateway API vs Ingress in Kubernetes Kubernetes networking can be tricky, especially when you’re trying to expose your services to the outside world. Two common ways to do this are Ingress and the newer Gateway API. Let’s look at what they are, how they differ, and when to use one over the other. What is Ingress? Ingress is a Kubernetes resource that defines how to route HTTP and HTTPS traffic to your services. It requires an Ingress Controller to actually implement the logic, such as NGINX or Traefik. ...

August 5, 2025 · 2 min · 306 words · John Cena

Main REST API Requests Explained with Examples

Main REST API Requests Explained with Examples When working with APIs, especially in web and backend development, you’ll encounter a set of standard HTTP methods used to interact with resources. These methods follow REST principles — a common architectural style. Let’s break down the most commonly used REST methods: 🔍 GET — Retrieve Data Use GET to request data from a server. Example: GET /users/123 HTTP/1.1 Host: example.com This will fetch information about the user with ID 123. ...

August 5, 2025 · 1 min · 208 words · John Cena

What is REST? Understanding RESTful APIs Simply

What is REST? REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style for designing networked applications. It’s not a protocol or a standard, but rather a set of principles that use HTTP to perform CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) on resources. Why REST? REST became popular because it’s simple, stateless, and leverages existing HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE. Think of REST like a restaurant: You (client) place an order (request) The kitchen (server) prepares the food (response) You don’t need to know how they made it; you just get the result Core Principles Stateless: Each request contains all necessary information. Server doesn’t store session. Client-Server: Decouples frontend and backend. Cacheable: Improves performance by caching responses. Uniform Interface: Resources are accessed via standard URIs and HTTP methods. Layered System: Architecture can have multiple layers (like proxies, gateways). HTTP Methods Method Action GET Read POST Create PUT Update DELETE Delete Example GET /users/123 This fetches user with ID 123. ...

July 29, 2025 · 2 min · 238 words · John Cena

What is an SRE (Site Reliability Engineer)?

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) may sound like a fancy job title, but it’s actually one of the most practical and important roles in modern infrastructure and software teams. What is an SRE? SRE stands for Site Reliability Engineer. In simple terms, an SRE ensures that systems are reliable, scalable, and efficient. The concept was born at Google, where software engineers were tasked with running production systems using software engineering principles. ...

July 25, 2025 · 2 min · 221 words · John Cena