WebSockets vs Webhooks vs gRPC: Choosing the Right Communication Protocol for Your Product

In today’s API-driven landscape, teams are increasingly building distributed systems that rely on real-time updates, low-latency calls, and reliable message delivery. The choice between WebSockets, Webhooks, and gRPC isn’t just technical—it’s architectural.

This guide breaks down how they work, when to use them, and how to decide based on your product’s needs.

TL;DR: Quick Comparison

Mental Models

Still wondering which one to use? Let’s give your brain some metaphors to chew on:

• WebSockets: Like a phone call — once connected, both parties can talk freely at any time. (And yes, it's that friend who texts "hey" and immediately calls.)
• Webhooks: Like a voicemail — the sender leaves a message, the receiver picks it up when they’re ready. (It’s polite, asynchronous, and doesn't judge.)
• gRPC: Like a contract-based phone call — tightly defined language, efficient connection, used for structured conversations. (It’s that nerdy friend who schedules meetings with agendas.)

WebSockets: For Persistent, Real-time Conversations

Best for: real-time applications like multiplayer games, chat apps, trading platforms, and collaborative tools.

Node.js Example with ws:

import WebSocket from 'ws';

const wss = new WebSocket.Server({ port: 8080 });

wss.on('connection', (ws) => {
  console.log('Client connected');
  ws.on('message', (message) => {
    console.log(`Received: ${message}`);
    ws.send(`Echo: ${message}`);
  });
});

Client (browser):

const ws = new WebSocket('ws://localhost:8080');
ws.onmessage = (msg) => console.log(msg.data);
ws.send('Hello server!');

WebSockets are like that clingy connection you didn’t know you needed. Amazing for live updates — but don’t forget to babysit it. "WebSockets are fun until your load balancer ghosts your connection." Facts.

Webhooks: For Simple Event Notifications

Best for: triggering actions when an event occurs—without maintaining an open connection.

It’s like the server sends you a postcard every time something cool happens. This feature is particularly useful for facilitating clean hand-offs.

Example: Express-based Webhook Receiver

import express from 'express';

const app = express();
app.use(express.json());

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
  const payload = req.body;
  console.log('Webhook received:', payload);
  res.status(200).send('OK');
});

app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Listening on port 3000'));

Used by: Stripe, GitHub, Zapier, Slack, etc.

gRPC: For Fast, Strongly-typed Service Communication

Best for: internal microservice communication, mobile backends, ML pipelines, and streaming-heavy workloads.

gRPC is like REST with a gym membership: lean, fast, and shows up in protocol buffers.

.proto Definition

syntax = "proto3";
service Greeter {
  rpc SayHello (HelloRequest) returns (HelloReply);
}
message HelloRequest {
  string name = 1;
}
message HelloReply {
  string message = 1;
}

Server (Node.js with @grpc/grpc-js)

import { Server, ServerCredentials } from '@grpc/grpc-js';
import { GreeterService } from './generated/greeter_grpc_pb';

const server = new Server();
server.addService(GreeterService, {
  sayHello: (call, callback) => {
    callback(null, { message: `Hello ${call.request.name}` });
  },
});

server.bindAsync('0.0.0.0:50051', ServerCredentials.createInsecure(), () => {
  server.start();
});

When to Use What

How We Use This at SynergyBoat

At SynergyBoat, we use all three—but with intention:

• Webhooks for integrating with Stripe, ChargePoint, and other platforms.
• WebSockets for live energy analytics dashboards and EV charger sessions.
• gRPC for internal service communication across our AI agent infrastructure, where performance and schema contracts matter.

Pro Tip: Combine them wisely. Webhooks to notify an event. WebSockets to stream status. gRPC to orchestrate the services under the hood.