Building Software with Bazel, Golang, and gRPC

Building software can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to managing dependencies and ensuring consistent builds. This blog post will explore how to use Bazel, Golang, and gRPC to build more efficient and organized software.

What is Bazel?

Bazel is a build tool developed by Google to manage large-scale codebases. It is based on the concept of a "workspace", which is a directory that contains all of the source code and dependencies for a project. Bazel uses a declarative language called "Starlark" to define build rules and dependencies between different project components. This allows Bazel to easily manage dependencies and ensure that all builds are consistent across other platforms and environments.

What is Golang?

Golang, also known as Go, is a programming language developed by Google. It is known for its simplicity, performance, and support for concurrent programming. Golang is often used for building backend services and command-line tools.

What is gRPC?

gRPC is a high-performance, open-source framework for building remote procedure call (RPC) APIs. It uses the Protocol Buffers data serialization format to define the structure of the data being passed between the client and the server. gRPC also provides support for bi-directional streaming, flow control, and authentication.

The Benefits of Using Bazel with Golang and gRPC

When building software, there are several benefits to using Bazel, Golang, and gRPC.

  1. Consistent builds: Bazel ensures that all builds are consistent across different platforms and environments. This means developers can be confident that their code will work as expected when deployed to different environments.
  2. Efficient dependency management: Bazel's declarative language makes managing dependencies between different project components easy. This ensures that all dependencies are up-to-date and that the project is not dependent on outdated or conflicting versions of libraries.
  3. High-performance: Golang is known for its performance and support for concurrent programming. gRPC also provides support for high-performance, bi-directional streaming and flow control.
  4. Easy to maintain: Golang's simplicity and gRPC's use of Protocol Buffers make it easy to understand and support the codebase.

Getting Started

If you're new to Bazel, Golang, and gRPC, here are some resources to help you get started:

Conclusion

Using Bazel, Golang, and gRPC together can make building software more efficient and organized. Bazel's declarative language makes it easy to manage dependencies and ensure consistent builds. In contrast, Golang's performance and gRPC's support for high-performance, bi-directional streaming and flow control make it easy to maintain and understand the codebase. With this guide's help, you can start building software using Bazel, Golang, and gRPC. Remember to follow the sample folder structure, and refer to the links provided to get started. Also, remember to include code snippets in your project, as they can help you understand how everything fits together. You can build high-performing, reliable and maintainable software with these technologies. Happy coding!