Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) and Remote Method Invocations (RMI) are both technologies used for distributed computing. They are both Java-based, but that is where the similarities end. RPC is an older technology, while RMI is more recent. RMI also has a more sophisticated security model than RPC. In general, RMI is considered to be more reliable and efficient than RPC.
What is RPC?
RPC, or Remote Procedure Call, is a protocol that allows a computer program to request services from a remote program. RPC is used by many software applications and is an essential part of distributed computing. RPC uses a client-server model, with the client making a request and the server responding. RPC can be used over a network or between different processes on the same machine. RPC is typically faster than other protocols, such as HTTP, because it does not require the overhead of creating and managing connections. RPC is also more efficient because it allows the server to reuse resources, such as memory and network connections. RPC is a powerful tool for distributed computing, and its performance advantages make it an essential part of many software applications.
What is RMI?
RMI (Remote Method Invocation) is a Java framework that allows two different Java applications to communicate with each other. RMI enables an object to invoke methods on an object running in another JVM (Java virtual machine). RMI uses skeletons and stubs to achieve this. A skeleton is a server-side object that listens for incoming RMI calls and forwards them to the actual object. A stub is a client-side object that represents the remote object and forwards RMI calls to the skeleton. RMI is commonly used in distributed applications, where multiple JVMs need to communicate with each other. RMI can be used to invoke methods on objects running on the same JVM or on a different JVM. RMI is transparent to the programmer, which means that RMI code looks just like regular Java code. RMI is also platform-independent, which means that RMI code can run on any platform that supports Java.
Difference between RPC and RMI
RPC (Remote Procedure Call) and RMI (Remote Method Invocation) are two popular methods of communication between computers. RPC is a method of communication where a program on one computer can call a program on another computer and receive a response. RMI is a method of communication where an object on one computer can invoke a method on an object on another computer. RPC is typically used for simple requests that do not require complex data structures to be passed back and forth, while RMI is typically used for more complex requests that involve passing objects between computers. RPC is also typically used for communications between systems that are not running the same programming language, while RMI is typically used for communications between systems that are running the same programming language.
Conclusion
Remote procedure calls (RPCs) and remote method invocation (RMIs) are two different ways of achieving the same goal: remotely executing code on another machine. The primary difference between RPCs and RMIs is that with an RMI, the caller explicitly knows the name of the method they want to call, while with an RPC, the callee publishes a list of available methods that the caller can choose from. In most cases, it doesn’t matter which approach you use – as long as your code is accessible from outside your network, either will work fine.
