What the study found
The study found that performance differed across the three web programming interfaces tested: GraphQL, gRPC, and Thrift. gRPC was the fastest option for large-scale read operations, while GraphQL and Thrift were faster when operations moved small volumes of data.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors present the comparison as relevant for choosing among web programming interfaces. The study suggests that interface choice may depend on whether an application mainly handles large read workloads or small data transfers.
What the researchers tested
The researchers developed three applications, each using one of the selected technologies: GraphQL, gRPC, or Thrift. They tested the applications with JMeter, a tool for performance testing, and measured execution time and the amount of data returned during operations on a relational database.
What worked and what didn't
gRPC performed best for the shortest execution time in large-scale read operations. GraphQL and Thrift performed better for operations that transported small volumes of data. The abstract does not report additional comparative details beyond these findings.
What to keep in mind
The summary only describes tests on operations performed on a relational database, so the findings are limited to that setting. The abstract does not provide more detail about the applications, workloads, or any limitations beyond the measured performance results.
Key points
- The study compared GraphQL, gRPC, and Thrift.
- Three applications were built, one for each technology.
- Performance was tested with JMeter.
- The researchers measured execution time and returned data volume.
- gRPC was fastest for large-scale read operations.
- GraphQL and Thrift were faster for small data transfers.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- gRPC was fastest for large-scale reads; GraphQL and Thrift were faster for small data
- Authors:
- Piotr Rożek, Mariusz Dzieńkowski
- Institutions:
- Lublin University of Technology, Lublin University of Technology
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-30
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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