Introduction
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a protocol that one program can use to request a service from a program located on another computer in a network without having to understand the network’s details. In the context of backend development, RPC plays a crucial role in allowing different parts of a system to communicate with each other.
What is RPC?
RPC is a mechanism that allows a program to execute procedures (subroutines) on another address space, such as a different computer on a shared network. This means that a process running on one computer can call a procedure (a subroutine or function) that is part of a program running on another computer, without the programmer needing to explicitly code the details of this communication.
How does RPC work?
When a program (the client) makes a request to execute a procedure on another program (the server) using RPC, the client sends a message containing the procedure’s parameters to the server. The server then executes the procedure and sends back a response to the client. This process is transparent to the client, meaning that it does not need to know the server’s specific implementation details in order to initiate the RPC.
Types of RPC
There are several types of RPC, including: synchronous RPC, asynchronous RPC, and oneway RPC. Synchronous RPC waits for the server to process the request and return a response, while asynchronous RPC allows the client to continue with other tasks while waiting for the response. Oneway RPC only sends a request and does not expect a response from the server.