Should You Use gRPC Instead of REST? | Issue #29


Hi there,

This week, I’m diving into a topic that’s causing a bit of a stir among software architects—gRPC!

Many developers still lean heavily on REST, but gRPC is an exciting alternative, especially when speed and performance are top priorities. 🚀

In this week’s video, I’ll go through everything you need to know about gRPC and how it compares to REST. From HTTP/2 streaming and protocol buffers to its pros and caveats, this video is designed to help you decide whether gRPC has a place in your projects.

I even built a sample project to showcase how gRPC works in action, covering both internal and external service communication, and yes, even the tricky parts with HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2

Enjoy the video and happy coding!

Cheers,

Arjan

# News

The BIGGEST ArjanCodes Sale Yet! 🔥

If you’re a developer looking to make an impact in your projects, now’s your chance! This Black Friday, I’m giving the biggest discount on ArjanCodes courses yet! For only a few days, you can get any course at 25% off. Whether you’re aiming to think like an architect, sharpen your software design skills, or take on a design challenge, there’s something here for everyone. Just use code BLACKFRIDAY2024 at checkout to claim your discount.

Here’s what’s waiting for you:

  • The Software Architect Mindset: Shift from coder to architect. This course is packed with strategies for designing systems that are scalable, maintainable, and efficient.
  • The Software Designer Mindset: Solve complex software design problems. Write code that’s easy to read, change and test.
  • 30-Day Design Challenge: Push your boundaries with a month-long series of software design exercises to build confidence and skill.
  • Next-Level Python: Ready to go beyond Python basics? Dive deep into advanced Python projects and techniques to become a Python expert.

Don’t miss out! This offer is available for only a few days, until December 2 at midnight.

Final Livestream of the Year! 🎄✨

As we wrap up 2024, join me for one last Under the Hood livestream on Tuesday at 16:00 CET! 🎅🎄 I’ll be going live, unscripted, to explore the code behind some popular open-source libraries, with plenty of holiday cheer. 🎁💻

Let’s uncover some coding gems, untangle those tricky bits, and enjoy some festive fun together!

Whether you’re here for the code or the holiday vibes, it’s the perfect way to end the year.

Grab your hot cocoa, put on your favorite Christmas sweater, and don’t miss out! See you there for the final stream of 2024! 🎉

# Community

It’s that time of year again—Advent of Code 2024 is around the corner! 🎉 This annual programming contest is a festive way to sharpen your coding skills while solving 25 fun and challenging puzzles. Each day from December 1st, a new puzzle unlocks, getting progressively more complex as we approach the big day.

On our Discord server, Dale has kicked off a thread where you can join in, discuss solutions, and cheer each other on. There’s even a leaderboard to track everyone’s progress.

Don’t worry if you can’t complete every puzzle—just start, give it a try, and enjoy the ride! Click here to check out the Advent of Code thread and hop into the fun! 🎅💻


Do you enjoy my content on YouTube and would you like to dive in deeper? Check out my online courses below. They've helped thousands of developers take the next step in their careers.

🚀 The Mindset Online Course Series

The goal of this series is to help junior developers grow their skills to become senior developers faster.

💥 Other Courses

💡 If you’re part of a development team at a company, I offer special packages for companies that give your team the tools to consistently write high-quality code and dramatically increase your team's productivity.

Unsubscribe | Send by ArjanCodes

Jan van Eijklaan 2-4, Bilthoven, UT 3723 BC

The Friday Loop

Every Friday, you'll get a recap of the most important and exciting Python and coding news. The Friday Loop also keeps everyone posted on new ArjanCodes courses and any limited offers coming up.

Read more from The Friday Loop

Hi there, I just posted a new video, and it gets a bit personal. After four years of running ArjanCodes, I learned a tough lesson in 2024: trying to do too much leads to burnout, stress, and lower quality work. So I hit the brakes. Scaled back. Simplified. And guess what? The videos got better. I feel more focused. The team is happier. Now, heading into 2025, I’m embracing the Keep Things Stupidly Simple principle—both in software design and life. Watch this week’s video, if you want to hear...

Hi there, Debugging FastAPI apps in VSCode often feels harder than it needs to be. Between uvicorn, browser requests, and vague errors, it’s enough to make anyone pull their hair out. In today’s video, I’ll show you how to set up the perfect debugging environment so you can find and squash those bugs like a pro. 🔥 Here’s what you’ll learn: How to set up a debugging configuration in VSCode that works seamlessly with FastAPI. Why breakpoints, logpoints, and conditional breakpoints are your...

Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄 As the year wraps up, I just want to say a massive THANK YOU for all the support you’ve shown ArjanCodes in 2024. Together, we’ve hit an incredible milestone—260k subscribers! 🎉 This week, I’m hitting the pause button to spend some quality time with my family (and maybe eat a suspicious amount of cookies 🍪). That means no new video this week—but don’t worry, I’ve got big plans and exciting ideas for 2025. I can’t wait to dive into a new year of coding, learning,...