Socket & gRPC APIs
Beta only
Beta onlyNote: This feature is currently in Beta.
Voiden supports Socket and gRPC APIs through its core plugin system, enabling developers to generate dynamic, realistic test data directly within Socket and gRPC requests.
Why Sockets & gRPC APIs Matter
Modern applications rely on real-time and streaming communication for speed, scalability, and responsiveness. The Sockets & gRPC APIs Plugin exists to address these needs by providing native support for persistent connections and high-performance messaging within Voiden.
This plugin is important because it:
- Enables real-time, bidirectional communication that traditional request–response APIs cannot handle efficiently
- Supports high-throughput and low-latency workflows using gRPC and REST
- Simplifies testing and debugging of streaming and event-driven APIs
- Provides clear visibility into connection state, message flow, and live data
- Unifies WebSocket and gRPC workflows in a single, consistent interface
By using Sockets and gRPC APIs in Voiden, developers can confidently build, test, and scale modern applications that depend on continuous data exchange and real-time interactions.
WebSocket vs gRPC vs REST
| Feature | REST | WebSocket | gRPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Model | Request–Response | Persistent, Bidirectional | RPC (Unary & Streaming) |
| Connection Type | Short-lived | Long-lived | Long-lived |
| Data Format | JSON / XML | Text / JSON | Protobuf (binary) |
| Best For | CRUD APIs, public APIs | Live updates, events, chat | Internal services, high-performance systems |
Summary
- REST is best for simple, stateless APIs and standard CRUD operations.
- WebSocket excels at real-time, event-driven, bidirectional communication.
- gRPC is ideal for high-performance, strongly typed, and streaming service-to-service interactions.