RPC and REST: Dilemma, Disruption, and Displacement
Steve Vinoski · IEEE Internet Computing · 2008
Whether RESTful HTTP will continue to displace remote procedure call (RPC)-oriented systems within the enterprise isn't ultimately just a matter of whether one approach is technically "better" than the other. The technology-adoption life cycle clearly indicates that such evaluations are relative. Technology choice is never black-and-white, and in the big picture, the time we spend arguing for one technology over another based on pure technical merit is, frankly, largely wasted. It ultimately comes down to cost - if RESTful HTTP can indeed yield "good enough" integration solutions that cost less to develop and maintain, it will slowly displace heavier, more costly RPC-oriented approaches in more and more enterprise scenarios. Such changes are inevitable, regardless of any technical arguments sustaining technology fans might try to muster to prevent them.