What is the difference between REST and RPC

1. Architecture and Communication Model:

- REST is an architectural style for building web services that relies on a stateless, client-server communication model. The client sends requests to the server with all necessary data and receives responses in standardized formats like JSON or XML.

- RPC, on the other hand, is a communication model where a client calls a function on another computer as if it were local to that machine. The remote procedure call returns data directly back to the calling process after execution.

2. Request-Response vs Procedure Call:

- In REST, communication between client and server is based on requesting resources (represented by URIs) with HTTP methods like GET,What is the difference between REST and RPC

POST, PUT or DELETE. The client receives a response in the form of data about that resource and its state changes if applicable (e.g., after creating/updating/deleting it).

- In RPC, the client sends a message to call a specific function on another machine. The server processes this request and returns control back to the caller after execution with an appropriate response or result based on its implementation of that function.

3. Stateless vs Stateful:

- REST is considered stateless, meaning none of the context or session information about previous requests made by a client are maintained on the server-side between requests.

- RPC can be both stateless and stateful, depending on how its implementation handles session management and data persistence across multiple calls. However, most implementations involve some level of state maintenance to support function call chaining or maintain user contexts (e.g., in a client-server application).

4. Scalability and Flexibility:

- REST is designed to be highly scalable as it allows multiple clients to access shared resources concurrently via unique URIs. It also enables caching at various levels for better performance and reduces network traffic through data representation standardization (JSON, XML).

- RPC can achieve similar scalability with techniques like load balancing or clustering but requires more coordination between client and server due to its reliance on procedure calls for communication.

5. Heterogeneity:

- REST is platform-agnostic, meaning clients and servers can communicate regardless of their underlying technology or programming language as long as they adhere to standardized communication protocols (HTTP methods & formats like JSON, XML).

- RPC is typically restricted to homogeneous systems since it relies on specific interfaces and APIs that are often tied to particular programming languages or frameworks. However, technologies like gRPC aim at addressing thisWhat is the difference between REST and RPC

limitation by providing cross-platform capabilities using Protocol Buffers as the data serialization format.

Overall, REST is more flexible and allows for a greater separation of concerns between client and server compared to RPC since it relies on standardized HTTP methods for communication. However, depending on the specific use case or system requirements, one might choose either architecture based on factors such as performance needs, data representation preferences (JSON vs XML), and desired levels of flexibility.