How to start using gRPC with PHP - Part 1/4

Introduction This series consists of 4 posts designed to help you set up a PHP project to consume and interact with gRPC connections. Setting this up in PHP requires a one-time environment configuration, so please be patient and keep in mind that this setup only needs to be done once per PHP version. There isn’t much content available on this topic, especially when it comes to using gRPC with PHP. So, I decided to write about it in the hope that it can help and support many other developers out there. If you find it useful, please like and share! Nowadays, the most common way to share data among services is through APIs using JSON/REST. This approach is simple to implement and probably is the way you have building your services. However, as services scale to handle high traffic volumes, side effects begin to emerge, such as slower performance across services and excessive consumption of network resources. A modern and effective alternative is to use gRPC. While it is slightly more complex than the JSON-based approach, gRPC offers significant advantages, including faster performance, enhanced security, and developer-friendly tools. Recently, LinkedIn shared a talk on InfoQ detailing a successful migration from JSON to gRPC. It’s worth checking out — the results and benefits of this transition might positively surprise you. I’ve been using gRPC in some applications, and while the learning curve was a bit steep at first, I decided to write this guide to help those who are just starting to explore this exciting technology. My goal is to provide you with a deep-dive experience that makes the journey easier and more enjoyable. I hope this guide can serve as a valuable resource as you step into the world of gRPC! Our Workplan This guide will show you how to set up a development environment for working with gRPC and interacting with services using a PHP client. The goal is to provide a straightforward approach that minimizes effort and offers a low learning curve. As such, I won’t delve into basic concepts here. If you need an introduction to the fundamentals, please take some time to explore the following links: What is GRPC How to Start with GRPC and PHP gRPC overview e techniques Official repository with example The guide goals are allowing you to: Start a Server gRPC and use .proto files Generate Static Grpc Clients using precompiled extensions for PHP Interacting between server and client with Unary and Streams calls In the next article we are going to start a gRPC server with GoLang to allow us use PHP gRPC clients. keep tuned.

Mar 11, 2025 - 00:35

How to start using gRPC with PHP - Part 1/4

Introduction

This series consists of 4 posts designed to help you set up a PHP project to consume and interact with gRPC connections.

Setting this up in PHP requires a one-time environment configuration, so please be patient and keep in mind that this setup only needs to be done once per PHP version.

There isn’t much content available on this topic, especially when it comes to using gRPC with PHP. So, I decided to write about it in the hope that it can help and support many other developers out there.

If you find it useful, please like and share!

Nowadays, the most common way to share data among services is through APIs using JSON/REST. This approach is simple to implement and probably is the way you have building your services.

However, as services scale to handle high traffic volumes, side effects begin to emerge, such as slower performance across services and excessive consumption of network resources.

A modern and effective alternative is to use gRPC. While it is slightly more complex than the JSON-based approach, gRPC offers significant advantages, including faster performance, enhanced security, and developer-friendly tools.

Recently, LinkedIn shared a talk on InfoQ detailing a successful migration from JSON to gRPC. It’s worth checking out — the results and benefits of this transition might positively surprise you.

I’ve been using gRPC in some applications, and while the learning curve was a bit steep at first, I decided to write this guide to help those who are just starting to explore this exciting technology.

My goal is to provide you with a deep-dive experience that makes the journey easier and more enjoyable. I hope this guide can serve as a valuable resource as you step into the world of gRPC!

Our Workplan

This guide will show you how to set up a development environment for working with gRPC and interacting with services using a PHP client.

The goal is to provide a straightforward approach that minimizes effort and offers a low learning curve.

As such, I won’t delve into basic concepts here. If you need an introduction to the fundamentals, please take some time to explore the following links:

The guide goals are allowing you to:

Start a Server gRPC and use .proto files
Generate Static Grpc Clients using precompiled extensions for PHP
Interacting between server and client with Unary and Streams calls

In the next article we are going to start a gRPC server with GoLang to allow us use PHP gRPC clients. keep tuned.