REST e GRPC em arquiteturas de microserviços: desempenho, complexidade e adequação

Abstract

The increasing adoption of microservices architectures reflects the need for scalable, resilient, and flexible systems capable of meeting current demands in software development. In this context, communication between services becomes a decisive factor for efficiency and maintainability, with REST and gRPC standing out as two of the most widely used and debated technologies. This article primarily aims to perform a comparative analysis between REST and gRPC, emphasizing their technical characteristics, advantages, limitations, and suitability to different application scenarios. The research followed an exploratory and comparative approach, based on a literature review of articles, case studies, and reference books. Three evaluation criteria were defined: performance and latency, implementation complexity, and suitability to practical contexts, which guided the critical analysis of both approaches. The results show that REST remains a consolidated and widely adopted solution, offering simplicity, interoperability, and a robust ecosystem, despite higher latency and less efficiency in high-demand environments. Conversely, gRPC achieves superior performance and real-time communication support, excelling in scenarios that require low latency, such as financial platforms and online games, but it olves greater implementation complexity and a steeper learning curve. The study concludes that the choice between REST and gRPC is not universal but must be aligned with the project’s specific requirements and the team’s technical maturity. Furthermore, a hybrid approach is suggested, strategically combining both technologies to leverage their complementary strengths.