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grpc-protocol-support.md

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copyright
years
2018, 2026
lastupdated 2026-02-09
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subcollection cis

{{site.data.keyword.attribute-definition-list}}

gRPC protocol support

{: #grpc-protocol-support}

gRPC (gRPC Remote Procedure Call) is an open source framework that allows applications to communicate efficiently and reliably. It enables the creation of compact, high-performance APIs that reduce bandwidth usage, lower latency, and support scalable service-to-service communication. {: shortdesc}

gRPC features

{: #grpc-features}

  • Client-Server Model: gRPC uses a client-server architecture in which the client sends a request to the server, and the server processes the request and returns a response. This model supports efficient communication between services and simplifies integration across distributed systems.

  • Protocol Buffers (Protobuf): gRPC uses Protocol Buffers (protobuf) as its Interface Definition Language (IDL). Protobuf provides a language-neutral and platform-neutral mechanism for serializing structured data, enabling strongly typed contracts between client and server and improving data transmission efficiency.

  • HTTP/2: gRPC runs over HTTP/2, which provides multiplexing (multiple requests over a single connection), binary data transfer, header compression, and built-in support for streaming. Streaming enables clients and servers to send or receive data continuously without opening multiple connections, supporting both large datasets and real-time communication.

  • Cross-platform and multi-language: gRPC supports multiple programming languages, such as Java, C++, Python, Go, Ruby, Node.js, and many more. This versatility makes it great for building systems where services are written in different languages.

{{site.data.keyword.cis_short_notm}} supports gRPC protocol for any proxied gRPC endpoints. To enable or disable gRPC support, navigate to the Reliability section, select the Advanced tab, and toggle the gRPC switch.

Before enabling gRPC support, ensure that your endpoint meets the following requirements:

  • The gRPC endpoint must listen on port 443 and support TLS and HTTP/2.
  • HTTP/2 must be advertised over Application-Layer Protocol Negotiation (ALPN).
  • gRPC requests must use the application/grpc or application/grpc+<message type> content-type header.