How does bRPC compare to gRPC for C++ services?

bRPC often delivers better latency and throughput for C++ systems, per its benchmarks, and supports multiple protocols on one port. However, gRPC has broader cross-language support and is more cloud-native, making bRPC better for performance-centric C++ environments.

How to set up an asynchronous client in bRPC?

Use bRPC's client APIs to make asynchronous calls by defining callbacks, allowing non-blocking operations. The documentation provides examples for handling responses without waiting, improving scalability in high-load scenarios.

Does bRPC work on Windows?

Primary CI and support are for Linux and MacOS, with no official Windows build status shown. While community efforts might exist, compatibility is limited, so it's best suited for Unix-like systems.

What are the main performance benchmarks for bRPC?

bRPC includes performance benchmarks in its docs, showing advantages in latency and throughput over alternatives like gRPC, especially in C++-heavy environments such as search and advertising systems.

How to extend bRPC with a custom protocol?

Follow the 'New Protocol' guide to implement specific interfaces for protocol serialization and handling. This allows integration of proprietary protocols without modifying the core framework, though it requires C++ expertise.

bRPC or Apache Thrift for building microservices in C++?

Choose bRPC if performance and multi-protocol support are critical, as it's optimized for C++. Thrift is better for cross-language compatibility, but bRPC excels in high-scale, C++-centric deployments.

How to debug a bRPC server using built-in tools?

Access HTTP endpoints like /status and /vars for real-time metrics, and use profilers such as cpu_profiler to identify bottlenecks. These tools are integrated, reducing the need for external monitoring setups.

bRPC — C++ RPC Framework

What is bRPC?

Apache bRPC is an industrial-grade Remote Procedure Call (RPC) framework written in C++, designed for building high-performance distributed systems. It solves the problem of efficient, scalable communication between services in demanding environments like search, storage, machine learning, and advertising platforms, offering multi-protocol support and low-latency performance.

Target Audience

C++ developers and engineers building large-scale, high-performance distributed systems, such as search engines, real-time recommendation systems, or data-intensive microservices architectures.

Value Proposition

Developers choose bRPC for its exceptional performance, flexibility in handling multiple protocols on a single port, and production-ready features like built-in profiling and extensibility, making it a reliable alternative to other RPC frameworks in resource-intensive scenarios.

brpc is an Industrial-grade RPC framework using C++ Language, which is often used in high performance system such as Search, Storage, Machine learning, Advertisement, Recommendation etc. "brpc" means "better RPC".

Use Cases

Best For

Building high-throughput search engine backends
Developing low-latency machine learning inference services
Creating scalable microservices architectures in C++
Implementing multi-protocol servers (e.g., HTTP, gRPC, Redis) on a single port
Constructing highly available distributed systems using RAFT consensus
Optimizing performance in advertising or recommendation engines

Not Ideal For

Web development teams using high-level languages like JavaScript or Python for backend services
Projects with simple RPC needs where a lightweight HTTP API or basic gRPC would suffice
Startups or small teams lacking dedicated C++ expertise to manage the framework's complexity
Windows-centric development environments, as primary support and CI are for Linux and MacOS

Pros & Cons

Pros

Multi-Protocol Server

Handles HTTP, gRPC, Redis, Memcached, and more on a single port, reducing port management and simplifying architecture, as explicitly stated in the README.

High Performance Optimizations

Engineered for low latency and high throughput with efficient threading via bthread and memory management, backed by benchmarks showing superiority over alternatives.

Built-in Observability Tools

Includes HTTP-based debugging and profilers for CPU, heap, and contention, enabling integrated performance analysis without external tools.

Extensible Architecture

Allows easy addition of custom protocols, naming services, and load balancers, facilitating adaptation to organizational needs without core modifications.

Production RAFT Implementation

Comes with braft, an industrial-grade RAFT consensus algorithm, enabling out-of-the-box building of highly available distributed services.

Cons

C++-Only Focus

Primarily targets C++ developers, with limited native client support for other languages, making it less ideal for polyglot microservices architectures.

Steep Learning Curve

Requires deep knowledge of C++ and bRPC-specific concepts like bthread and IOBuf, compounded by complex setup and configuration processes.

Documentation Language Barrier

Significant documentation, including key guides, is only available in Chinese (e.g., README_cn.md links), which can hinder non-Chinese speaking teams.

Vendor-Specific Protocol Reliance

Includes Baidu-specific protocols (e.g., baidu_std) that may not be standard elsewhere, potentially leading to lock-in or integration challenges.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is bRPC?

Target Audience

C++ developers and engineers building large-scale, high-performance distributed systems, such as search engines, real-time recommendation systems, or data-intensive microservices architectures.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Building high-throughput search engine backends
Developing low-latency machine learning inference services
Creating scalable microservices architectures in C++
Implementing multi-protocol servers (e.g., HTTP, gRPC, Redis) on a single port
Constructing highly available distributed systems using RAFT consensus
Optimizing performance in advertising or recommendation engines

Not Ideal For

Web development teams using high-level languages like JavaScript or Python for backend services
Projects with simple RPC needs where a lightweight HTTP API or basic gRPC would suffice
Startups or small teams lacking dedicated C++ expertise to manage the framework's complexity
Windows-centric development environments, as primary support and CI are for Linux and MacOS

Pros & Cons

Pros

Multi-Protocol Server

Handles HTTP, gRPC, Redis, Memcached, and more on a single port, reducing port management and simplifying architecture, as explicitly stated in the README.

High Performance Optimizations

Engineered for low latency and high throughput with efficient threading via bthread and memory management, backed by benchmarks showing superiority over alternatives.

Built-in Observability Tools

Includes HTTP-based debugging and profilers for CPU, heap, and contention, enabling integrated performance analysis without external tools.

Extensible Architecture

Allows easy addition of custom protocols, naming services, and load balancers, facilitating adaptation to organizational needs without core modifications.

Production RAFT Implementation

Comes with braft, an industrial-grade RAFT consensus algorithm, enabling out-of-the-box building of highly available distributed services.

Cons

C++-Only Focus

Primarily targets C++ developers, with limited native client support for other languages, making it less ideal for polyglot microservices architectures.

Steep Learning Curve

Requires deep knowledge of C++ and bRPC-specific concepts like bthread and IOBuf, compounded by complex setup and configuration processes.

Documentation Language Barrier

Significant documentation, including key guides, is only available in Chinese (e.g., README_cn.md links), which can hinder non-Chinese speaking teams.

Vendor-Specific Protocol Reliance

Includes Baidu-specific protocols (e.g., baidu_std) that may not be standard elsewhere, potentially leading to lock-in or integration challenges.

Frequently Asked Questions

bRPC

What is bRPC?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

bRPC

What is bRPC?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?