gRPC Basics in ASP.NET Core (Updated for .NET 8)

gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call) has become a popular choice for building efficient and robust communication between microservices in modern applications. It is especially useful for applications requiring high performance, low latency, and strong typing for inter-service communication. ASP.NET Core, a powerful framework for building modern web applications, integrates seamlessly with gRPC, allowing developers to build scalable services.

What is gRPC?

gRPC is an open-source RPC framework developed by Google, based on the HTTP/2 protocol. It allows clients and servers to communicate directly through defined methods, supporting multiple programming languages. It offers features such as:

• Strongly typed contracts: Using Protocol Buffers (Protobuf), gRPC generates strongly-typed clients and servers.
• HTTP/2-based transport: Built on HTTP/2, gRPC benefits from features like multiplexing, streaming, and header compression.
• Streaming support: Enables real-time communication through client-side, server-side, and bidirectional streaming.
• Universal applicability: With support for many languages and platforms, gRPC is highly flexible, suitable for microservices, IoT devices, and data-intensive services.