Npm Remote Procedure Call Libraries

When are Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Libraries Useful?

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Libraries play a critical role in distributed applications. They are particularly useful in:

1. Microservices Architecture: RPC libraries can be instrumental in enabling efficient communication between different services in a Landscape of Microservices. They allow services to call functions in other services as if they were part of the same process, helping developers maintain a high level of abstraction.
2. Real-time Applications: RPC libraries can support real-time data updates in applications that need to reflect changes in server-side data immediately.
3. Inter-Process Communication: They are used to simplify the communication between processes in different systems, or different environments. This can be ideal for complex, multitasking applications.
4. Data Intensive Applications: If the application handles a large amount of data, RPC libraries can help manage this data efficiently by allowing for remote method invocation.

What Functionalities do Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Libraries Usually Have?

Most RPC libraries provide a range of similar functionalities to accommodate distributed communication in applications:

1. Request-Response Mechanisms: A fundamental feature of RPC libraries is a mechanism to handle request-response relationships between a client and a server.
2. Service Discovery and Load Balancing: Many RPC systems are capable of discovering necessary services dynamically and perform load balancing to distribute calls evenly across services.
3. Fault Tolerance: RPC libraries often have built-in mechanisms for fault tolerance to handle and recover from errors gracefully.
4. Data Serialization: They generally implement methods to efficiently serialize the data that transferred between the procedures.
5. Authentication and Authorization: In addition to the communication, libraries typically provide security features to identify, authenticate, and authorize the callers.
6. Asynchronous Messaging: This feature allows the client to send multiple requests to a server without waiting for the response, thereby enhancing performance.

Gotchas/Pitfalls to Look Out for

Although RPC libraries serve many functions in JavaScript npm packages, developers should keep the following considerations in mind:

1. Latency: One significant pitfall with remote procedure calls is latency. Be aware of the potential for lag in communication between services.
2. Bandwidth: High amounts of data traffic between services could exceed the available bandwidth, affecting the application's performance.
3. Error Handling: RPC libraries might not handle errors as precisely or informatively as desired. It's crucial to manage exceptions correctly and define error behavior.
4. Data Serialization Overhead: The process of converting data into a format that can be transferred can introduce additional computational overhead, potentially impacting performance.
5. Dependency on Network Reliability: As RPC relies on network communication, any network issues can cause significant disruptions in your services.
6. Security Risks: Exposing interfaces for remote procedure calls can potentially lead to security risks if not properly managed.

Remember that appropriate planning, implementation, and usage of RPC libraries can mitigate most of these related issues.