What is the Difference Between RPC and RMI?

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RPC (Remote Procedure Call) and RMI (Remote Method Invocation) are both interprocess communication techniques that allow one computer to call a procedure or method on another computer. They have some similarities, but there are key differences between the two:

  1. Programming Model: RPC supports procedural programming, while RMI supports object-oriented programming.
  2. Platform Dependence: RPC is a library and OS dependent platform, whereas RMI is a Java platform.
  3. Parameter Passing: In RPC, normal data is passed as parameters, while in RMI, objects are passed as parameters.
  4. Efficiency: RMI is more efficient than RPC, as it creates less overhead.
  5. Security: RPC does not provide any security, while RMI provides client-level security.
  6. Development Cost: The development cost for RPC is higher, as multiple codes are needed to build a simple application. In contrast, RMI is less expensive, as versioning is possible using RDMI.

In summary, RPC and RMI both enable remote procedure calls, but they differ in their programming models, platform dependence, parameter passing, efficiency, security, and development cost. RPC supports procedural programming and is less efficient, while RMI supports object-oriented programming and is more efficient.

Comparative Table: RPC vs RMI

Here is a table comparing the differences between RPC (Remote Procedure Call) and RMI (Remote Method Invocation):

Feature RPC RMI
Platform Library and OS dependent Java platform
Programming Model Procedural programming Object-oriented programming
Efficiency Less efficient More efficient
Overhead Creates more overhead Creates less overhead
Parameters Ordinary or normal data Objects are passed as parameters
Version Older version Successor version
Ease of Programming High provision Low provision
Security No security provided Security managed through access rights

In summary, RPC is a protocol that allows communication between different processes on a network and supports procedural programming, while RMI is a Java-specific implementation of RPC that supports object-oriented programming. RPC is platform-agnostic and can be used with various programming languages, while RMI is limited to Java. RPC uses a client-server architecture, while RMI uses a distributed object-oriented architecture.