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From REST to gRPC: Architecting High-Performance APIs in .NET 10
Decision Framework: REST for Public APIs, gRPC for Internal High-Performance Microservices Native AOT, Hybrid Cache, AI Minimal APIs, Source Generators, 50MB images, 25ms startup
The architectural decision between REST and gRPC is rarely just about data formats. It is a fundamental choice that dictates the entire lifecycle of an API — from contract definition and client generation to performance characteristics, streaming capabilities, deployment strategies, and operational observability. This decision ripples through every layer of the application stack, influencing how teams collaborate, how systems scale, and how efficiently resources are utilized in production environments.
This document explores this evolution through a practical use case: a real-time Fleet Management System. The journey begins with a traditional REST API, highlighting its operational friction and architectural limitations, and culminates in a high-performance gRPC service built with .NET 10. The focus is on the “why” and “how,” leveraging the latest features of the .NET ecosystem — including AI-integrated Minimal APIs, enhanced middleware pipelines, Native AOT compilation, and advanced telemetry support — to build…
