Talking Kotlin kotlinx.rpc
Aug 11, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Alex Sysoev from JetBrains, who leads the Kotlin XRPC project, dives into the innovative features of the Kotlin XRPC library. He and Sebastian discuss the nuances of implementing Remote Procedure Calls in Kotlin, comparing RPC and REST, and the need for fault-tolerant services. Alex highlights the library's integration with Ktor and existing gRPC definitions, as well as its ambition to enhance interoperability within various environments. They also touch on experimental technology and the collaborative spirit of the Kotlin community.
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What RPC Means
- RPC lets you invoke a function that runs on another machine as if calling code locally.
- Alex Sysoev explains RPC as invoking functions physically on another computer to get results.
gRPC: Google's Polyglot RPC
- gRPC is a Google-built protocol that they open-sourced and supported across many languages.
- Alex Sysoev describes gRPC as a multi-platform protocol maintained for broad compatibility.
When To Use RPC Over REST
- Use REST when you want human-readable resources, easy debugging, and external documentation.
- Prefer RPC for microservices when you need efficient, structured inter-service calls and binary performance.
