Why gRPC is faster then rest API ?

gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call) and REST (Representational State Transfer) are two different approaches for designing and implementing APIs, and their relative speed can depend on various factors. In some cases, gRPC can be faster than REST APIs, but it's not a universal rule. Here are some reasons why gRPC can be faster in certain scenarios:

Protocol Buffers (Protobuf): gRPC uses Protocol Buffers for serialization, which is a binary serialization format that is typically more efficient in terms of size and speed compared to JSON or XML used in REST APIs. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted over the network, leading to faster communication.

HTTP/2: gRPC is built on top of HTTP/2, whereas traditional REST APIs often use HTTP/1.1. HTTP/2 introduces features like multiplexing and header compression, which can reduce latency and improve overall performance when compared to HTTP/1.1.

Binary Data Transmission: gRPC sends data in a binary format, whereas REST APIs often use text-based formats like JSON or XML. Parsing binary data can be faster and more efficient than parsing text data, especially for large payloads.

Code Generation: gRPC allows you to generate client and server code in various programming languages, which can help eliminate some of the manual parsing and serialization work that developers would need to do with REST APIs. This code generation can result in more efficient code execution.

Strongly Typed Contracts: gRPC enforces strong typing through Protobuf and generates strongly typed code for both the client and server. This can help catch errors at compile time, reducing the likelihood of runtime errors that can occur with loosely typed REST APIs.

Streaming Support: gRPC supports bidirectional streaming, which allows clients and servers to send multiple messages back and forth over a single connection concurrently. This can be more efficient for certain use cases, such as real-time applications.

It's important to note that the performance benefits of gRPC may not be significant in all scenarios. REST APIs can be perfectly suitable for many applications and may offer better compatibility with existing systems, simplicity, and human readability of data.

Conclusion:

The choice between gRPC and REST should depend on your specific use case, requirements, and constraints. While gRPC can provide performance advantages in certain situations, it may not be the best choice for every application, and it may come with its own set of challenges, such as limited support for certain programming languages and frameworks.