Remote Procedure Call: A Technology That Crosses Network Boundaries

What is behind the abbreviation RPC?

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a network protocol that allows one application to request functions from another application located on a separate device in the network. The main advantage of this architecture is that developers do not need to delve into the details of network interaction — everything happens transparently. This approach has become the foundation for building client-server systems and distributed computing, which are now used everywhere.

Today, RPC is an essential component for microservices architecture and cloud solutions. Gigantic corporations like Google and Microsoft have long recognized the value of this protocol — they use it to synchronize operations between numerous services scattered across data centers worldwide.

From theory to practice: How it all started

The idea of remote procedure calling emerged in the early 1980s when programmers faced the need to simplify network interactions. The scientific and technical figure Bruce J. Nelson documented this concept in 1981, creating a theoretical basis that was later applied to increasingly complex architectures.

Over the following decades, RPC evolved. Microsoft developed its own implementation called DCOM, Sun created Sun RPC, and more recently, Google introduced gRPC — an advanced version built on HTTP/2.

Where RPC operates: Key industries and applications

Financial Sector

In banking systems and payment networks, RPC ensures synchronous transaction execution. When funds need to be transferred between multiple databases simultaneously, the protocol guarantees data consistency and prevents information loss.

Telecommunications Infrastructure

Operators use RPC to manage network equipment at remote sites. Monitoring, configuration, diagnostics — all are carried out through remote calls, significantly simplifying the administration of distributed infrastructure.

Medical Services

In telemedicine platforms, RPC allows doctors and patients to exchange medical data in real-time, enabling remote diagnostics and consultations between medical centers in different locations.

Transforming the technological landscape

The global spread of cloud computing and microservices paradigm is inextricably linked to the improvement of RPC technologies. By providing stable and efficient interaction between microservices, RPC has enabled the creation of scalable architectures capable of adapting to growing loads and dynamically changing requirements.

This trend has triggered a wave of investment interest in RPC-based frameworks and related technologies. Innovative solutions in asynchronous communication, data encryption, and protocol optimization have received significant funding and have become priorities for many tech companies.

Modern trends in RPC development

The most notable achievement in recent years has been the adoption of gRPC from Google. Built on the foundation of HTTP/2, this framework provides high-performance interaction between services with support for streaming data and the (ability to work with applications written in different programming languages).

Simultaneously, there is an intensive growth in the use of JSON-RPC in the blockchain ecosystem. This lightweight protocol variant has become the standard for communication between nodes of distributed networks, which is critical for the functioning of decentralized applications (DApps) and payment systems based on distributed ledger technology.

Practical application on trading platforms

Modern cryptocurrency exchanges use RPC to integrate blockchain functionality into their trading interfaces. The protocol ensures access to real-time blockchain status, execution of smart contracts, and processing of market data streams, which is crucial for digital asset trading.

Final thoughts

Remote Procedure Call remains a cornerstone in the architecture of modern distributed systems. From financial institutions to medical facilities, from cloud providers to blockchain ecosystems — RPC ensures uninterrupted and efficient collaboration between applications and services.

Development and system administration professionals who possess a deep understanding of RPC and its modern implementations gain a competitive advantage in designing reliable, high-performance, and flexible systems ready to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing technological world.