What is RPC and How Does It Work? Remote Procedure Call Guide

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) plays an important role in the modern software development world. This technology is used to facilitate communication in distributed systems and to exchange data between applications. RPC allows programmes on different computers or networks to interact with each other as if they were running on the same machine.

In this article, we will take an in-depth look at what RPC is and how it works. We will discuss the basic components of the RPC architecture and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. We will also look at the current applications of RPC and predict its future. This guide will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of RPC and emphasise the importance of this technology in the software world.

What is RPC (Remote Procedure Call)?

Definition of RPC

RPC, Remote Procedure Call, is a technology used to communicate between different computers or networks. This technology allows programmers to call functions on a remote server as if they were calling a local function. RPC is a type of inter-process communication and allows processes with different address spaces to interact with each other.

Purpose of RPC

The main purpose of the RPC architecture is to facilitate communication in distributed systems and to enable data exchange between applications. This technology is designed for successful communication between client and server. RPC allows programmers to execute subroutines or procedures in different address spaces (usually on network-shared computers) without explicitly coding the details of remote interaction. To learn more about the uses of RPC in the cyber security world, you can take a look at our Cyber Security Fundamentals Training.

Usage Areas of RPC

RPC is widely used in various fields. It is especially preferred in distributed systems, cloud-based applications and service-oriented architectures. For example, e-mail services use RPC extensively. A system can connect to the mail server via POP3 or SMTP protocols to receive and send e-mails, but this communication can also be performed via the RPC protocol.

RPC can be used in all client/server applications based on Windows operating systems. It is also preferred for creating client and server programmes for heterogeneous network environments that include operating systems such as Unix and Apple. This wide range of use is due to RPC’s ability to communicate across different platforms and programming languages.

How does RPC work?

RPC Architecture

The RPC architecture is designed to facilitate communication between client and server. This architecture allows a client to call a procedure on a remote server as if it were a local procedure. The RPC architecture includes a client stub on the client side and a server stub on the server side. These stubs manage RPC calls and enable communication over the network.

RPC Communication Process

The RPC communication process starts with the client making a remote procedure call. The client stub receives the call and converts the parameters into a message. This message is transmitted over the network to the server. The server stub receives the incoming message and analyses the parameters. The server procedure is then invoked and the operation is performed. The result is sent back to the client in a similar process.

RPC Protocols

RPC can be implemented with different protocols. Popular protocols include XML-RPC, JSON-RPC and gRPC. XML-RPC transmits data in XML format and is often used in web services. JSON-RPC offers a lighter and faster alternative. gRPC is a high-performance RPC framework developed by Google. These protocols enable communication between different programming languages and platforms.

RPC is widely used in distributed systems and cloud-based applications. By simplifying communication between client and server, it helps developers create more efficient and scalable applications. The working principle of RPC allows remote procedures to be called as local procedures, reducing the complexity of distributed systems and allowing applications to be developed more easily.

Advantages and Disadvantages of RPC

Benefits of RPC

RPC (Remote Procedure Call) technology offers significant advantages in distributed systems and cloud-based applications. It makes it easier for clients to communicate with the server, allowing them to interact through traditional system calls and procedures. RPC helps developers work more efficiently by hiding internal message passing operations from the user.

This technology provides flexibility as it can be used in both distributed and local systems. In addition, the fact that it can be used simultaneously by different programmes increases the versatility of RPC. RPC uses many protocol layers to improve performance and thus provides faster and more efficient communication.

Challenges of Using RPC

RPC has some disadvantages as well as advantages. For example, RPC systems are not suitable for transferring large amounts of data. This can be a limitation for data-intensive applications. Also, since RPC involves a communication system, another machine and another process, it can be vulnerable to failure.

The lack of a uniform standard for RPC can sometimes lead to complexity as it can be implemented in various ways. This can cause compatibility problems between different systems. The fact that RPC is only interaction based and does not offer flexibility when it comes to hardware architecture can also be seen as a disadvantage.

Comparison with Alternative Technologies

RPC has its own advantages compared to other communication protocols. For example, alternatives such as XML-RPC and JSON-RPC offer several advantages by using different data formats. XML-RPC uses a human-readable and writable format, while JSON-RPC offers a lighter and faster alternative.

gRPC is a high performance RPC framework developed by Google. It provides more efficient and faster communication thanks to being based on HTTP/2 and using Protocol Buffers. gRPC is especially preferred in large-scale and complex systems.

To learn the relationship between RPC and logging processes and how they can be used effectively, you can take a look at our article What is Logging.

RPC Applications and Future

Popular RPC Frameworks

RPC technology plays an important role in the software world. One of the most widely used RPC frameworks today is gRPC. Developed by Google, this open source framework stands out with its high performance and efficient binary message format, Protocol Buffers. gRPC supports stream features by running on HTTP/2 and offers powerful tools for code generation.

Other popular RPC frameworks include XML-RPC and JSON-RPC. These frameworks offer several advantages by using different data formats. XML-RPC uses a human-readable format, while JSON-RPC is favoured as a lighter and faster alternative.

RPC’s Place in the Industry

RPC has a wide usage area in the industry. It is especially preferred in distributed systems and cloud-based applications. It is used to create client and server programmes in heterogeneous network environments containing different operating systems such as Windows, Unix and Apple.

In microservice architecture, RPC plays an important role in inter-service communication. The fact that gRPC provides 7 to 10 times faster message transmission than REST-based JSON/XML communication makes it a preferred choice in microservice architecture. You can take a look at our Sigma Rules article to understand how RPC can help in security analyses and incident detection.

Future Role of RPC

RPC is expected to gain more importance in the future. Especially with the popularisation of cloud-based applications and the popularisation of microservice architecture, the use of RPC will increase. Developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning may increase the use of RPC in these areas as well.

In the future, RPC protocols are expected to be further developed and optimised. It is foreseen that improvements will be made especially in security and scalability. In addition, efforts are underway to increase browser support for RPC.

RPC will be supported on more platforms and programming languages in the future, giving software developers more flexibility and choice. As a result, the importance of RPC in the software world will continue to grow and it will remain an indispensable part of distributed systems.

Conclusion

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) technology plays an important role in distributed systems to facilitate communication and exchange data between applications. This technology allows programmes on different computers or networks to interact with each other as if they were running on the same machine. The wide use of RPC stems from its ability to communicate across different platforms and programming languages.

In the future, RPC is expected to become even more important. The proliferation of cloud-based applications and the popularisation of microservice architecture are likely to increase the use of RPC. Furthermore, RPC protocols are expected to be further developed and optimised. In conclusion, the importance of RPC in the software world will continue to grow and it will continue to be an indispensable part of distributed systems.

Frequently Asked Questions about RPC