tRPC vs REST Comparison

What is REST?

REST (Representational State Transfer) is an architectural style that uses standard HTTP methods to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on resources.

Key Concepts

• Stateless: Each request from client to server must contain all the information needed to understand and process the request.
• Resource-Based: Everything is treated as a resource, identified by URIs.
• Standard Methods: Uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.

Code Example

                // Example of a RESTful API endpoint in Express.js
                const express = require('express');
                const app = express();
                app.get('/api/users', (req, res) => {
                    res.json([{ name: 'John Doe' }]);
                });
                app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));
                

What is tRPC?

tRPC (TypeScript Remote Procedure Call) is a framework for building APIs that allows you to call server-side code directly from the client-side without needing to define REST endpoints.

Key Concepts

• Type Safety: Full type safety between client and server, eliminating runtime errors.
• Remote Procedure Calls: Calls are made directly to functions instead of REST endpoints.
• Auto-Generated Routes: Routes are automatically handled based on the method names.

Code Example

                // Example of a tRPC API endpoint
                import { createRouter } from '@trpc/server';
                const appRouter = createRouter()
                    .query('getUser', {
                        resolve() {
                            return { name: 'John Doe' };
                        },
                    });
                

tRPC vs REST

When to use tRPC vs REST

Use REST when:

• Building a public API that needs to be widely accessible.
• Working with a variety of clients not limited to TypeScript.

Use tRPC when:

• Developing a TypeScript application where type safety is crucial.
• Needing fast and efficient server-client communication.