## Vert.x gRPC Server

Vert.x gRPC Server is a gRPC server powered by Vert.x HTTP server superseding the integrated Netty based gRPC client.

This server provides a gRPC request/response oriented API as well as a generated stub approach with the Vert.x gRPC Generator.

### Using Vert.x gRPC Server

To use Vert.x gRPC Server, add the following dependency to the dependencies section of your build descriptor:

- Maven (in your `pom.xml`):

    <dependency>
     <groupId>io.vertx</groupId>
     <artifactId>vertx-grpc-server</artifactId>
     <version>4.5.15</version>
    </dependency>

- Gradle (in your `build.gradle` file):

    dependencies {
     compile 'io.vertx:vertx-grpc-server:4.5.15'
    }

### Creating a gRPC server

A `GrpcServer` is a `Handler<HttpServerRequest>` and can be used as an HTTP server request handler.

    GrpcServer grpcServer = GrpcServer.server(vertx);

    HttpServer server = vertx.createHttpServer(options);

    server
      .requestHandler(grpcServer)
      .listen();

Tip | A `GrpcServer` can be used within a Vert.x Web router:
    route.consumes("application/grpc").handler(rc -> grpcServer.handle(rc.request()));

### Server request/response API

The gRPC request/response server API provides an alternative way to interact with a client without the need of extending a Java class.

#### Request/response

Each service method is processed by a handler, the handler is bound using a `ServiceMethod`.

    ServiceMethod<HelloRequest, HelloReply> serviceMethod = VertxGreeterGrpcServer.SayHello;

    server.callHandler(serviceMethod, request -> {

      request.handler(hello -> {

        GrpcServerResponse<HelloRequest, HelloReply> response = request.response();

        HelloReply reply = HelloReply.newBuilder().setMessage("Hello " + hello.getName()).build();

        response.end(reply);
      });
    });

`ServiceMethod` constants are generated by the Vert.x gRPC protoc plugin.

#### Streaming request

You can set handlers to process request events

    server.callHandler(VertxStreamingGrpcServer.Sink, request -> {
      request.handler(item -> {
        // Process item
      });
      request.endHandler(v ->{
        // No more items
        // Send the response
        request.response().end(Empty.getDefaultInstance());
      });
      request.exceptionHandler(err -> {
        // Something wrong happened
      });
    });

#### Streaming response

A streaming response involves calling `write` for each element of the stream and using `end` to end the stream

    server.callHandler(VertxStreamingGrpcServer.Source, request -> {
      GrpcServerResponse<Empty, Item> response = request.response();
      request.handler(empty -> {
        for (int i = 0;i < 10;i++) {
          response.write(Item.newBuilder().setValue("1").build());
        }
        response.end();
      });
    });

#### Bidi request/response

A bidi request/response is simply the combination of a streaming request and a streaming response

    server.callHandler(VertxStreamingGrpcServer.Pipe, request -> {

      request.handler(item -> request.response().write(item));
      request.endHandler(v -> request.response().end());
    });

Note | The gRPC-Web protocol does not support bidirectional streaming.

### Flow control

Request and response are back pressured Vert.x streams.

You can pause/resume/fetch a request

    request.pause();

    performAsyncOperation().onComplete(ar -> {
      // And then resume
      request.resume();
    });

You can check the writability of a response and set a drain handler

    if (response.writeQueueFull()) {
      response.drainHandler(v -> {
        // Writable again
      });
    } else {
      response.write(item);
    }

### Compression

You can compress response messages by setting the response encoding prior before sending any message

    response.encoding("gzip");

    // Write items after encoding has been defined
    response.write(Item.newBuilder().setValue("item-1").build());
    response.write(Item.newBuilder().setValue("item-2").build());
    response.write(Item.newBuilder().setValue("item-3").build());

Note | Compression is not supported over the gRPC-Web protocol.

### Decompression

Decompression is done transparently by the server when the client send encoded requests.

Note | Decompression is not supported over the gRPC-Web protocol.

### Message level API

The server provides a message level API to interact directly with protobuf encoded gRPC messages.

Tip | the server message level API can be used with the client message level API to write a gRPC reverse proxy

Such API is useful when you are not interested in the content of the messages, and instead you want to forward them to another service, e.g. you are writing a proxy.

    ServiceName greeterServiceName = ServiceName.create("helloworld", "Greeter");

    server.callHandler(request -> {

      if (request.serviceName().equals(greeterServiceName) && request.methodName().equals("SayHello")) {

        request.handler(protoHello -> {
          // Handle protobuf encoded hello
          performAsyncOperation(protoHello)
            .onSuccess(protoReply -> {
              // Reply with protobuf encoded reply
              request.response().end(protoReply);
            }).onFailure(err -> {
              request.response()
                .status(GrpcStatus.ABORTED)
                .end();
            });
        });
      } else {
        request.response()
          .status(GrpcStatus.NOT_FOUND)
          .end();
      }
    });

You can also set a `messageHandler` to handle `GrpcMessage`, such messages preserve the client encoding, which is useful the service you are forwarding to can handle compressed messages directly, in this case the message does not need to be decompressed and compressed again.

    ServiceName greeterServiceName = ServiceName.create("helloworld", "Greeter");

    server.callHandler(request -> {

      if (request.serviceName().equals(greeterServiceName) && request.methodName().equals("SayHello")) {

        request.messageHandler(helloMessage -> {

          // Can be identity or gzip
          String helloEncoding = helloMessage.encoding();

          // Handle hello message
          handleGrpcMessage(helloMessage)
            .onSuccess(replyMessage -> {
              // Reply with reply message

              // Can be identity or gzip
              String replyEncoding = replyMessage.encoding();

              // Send the reply
              request.response().endMessage(replyMessage);
            }).onFailure(err -> {
              request.response()
                .status(GrpcStatus.ABORTED)
                .end();
            });
        });
      } else {
        request.response()
          .status(GrpcStatus.NOT_FOUND)
          .end();
      }
    });

The `writeMessage` and `endMessage` will handle the message encoding:

- when the message uses the response encoding, the message is sent as is

- when the message uses a different encoding, it will be encoded, e.g. compressed or uncompressed

### Server stub API

In addition to the request/response API, the Vert.x gRPC protoc plugin idiomatic service stubs.

Each service comes in two flavors, you can override the method you like depending on the style.

#### Unary services

Unary services can return a Vert.x `Future`:

    VertxGreeterGrpcServer.GreeterApi stub = new VertxGreeterGrpcServer.GreeterApi() {
      @Override
      public Future<HelloReply> sayHello(HelloRequest request) {
        return Future.succeededFuture(HelloReply.newBuilder().setMessage("Hello " + request.getName()).build());
      }
    };

or process a Vert.x `Promise`

    VertxGreeterGrpcServer.GreeterApi stub = new VertxGreeterGrpcServer.GreeterApi() {
      @Override
      public void sayHello(HelloRequest request, Promise<HelloReply> response) {
        response.complete(HelloReply.newBuilder().setMessage("Hello " + request.getName()).build());
      }
    };

In both case you need to bind the stub to an existing `GrpcServer`:

    stub.bindAll(server);

#### Streaming requests

Streaming requests are implemented with a `ReadStream`:

    VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi stub = new VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi() {
      @Override
      public void sink(ReadStream<Item> stream, Promise<Empty> response) {
        stream.handler(item -> {
          System.out.println("Process item " + item.getValue());
        });
        // Send response
        stream.endHandler(v -> response.complete(Empty.getDefaultInstance()));
      }
    };

#### Streaming responses

Streaming responses are implemented with Vert.x streams and comes in two flavors.

You can return a Vert.x `ReadStream` and let the service send it for you:

    VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi stub = new VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi() {
      @Override
      public ReadStream<Item> source(Empty request) {
        return streamOfItems();
      }
    };

or you can process a `WriteStream`:

    VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi stub = new VertxStreamingGrpcServer.StreamingApi() {
      @Override
      public void source(Empty request, WriteStream<Item> response) {
        response.write(Item.newBuilder().setValue("value-1").build());
        response.end(Item.newBuilder().setValue("value-2").build());
      }
    };