Spring Boot 4.1 just dropped and gRPC is now a first-class citizen. It includes starters, auto-configuration, and a test slice right out of the box. If you've been curious about gRPC but put off by the boilerplate, this changes everything.

In this video, we explore the brand-new Spring gRPC support in Spring Boot 4.1. You'll learn why gRPC matters (contract-first design, binary protobuf over HTTP/2, built-in streaming, polyglot support), and then we'll build a gRPC greeter server from scratch using start.spring.io. We'll test it with grpcurl, then look at the client code that calls our service with a simple injected stub.

- Understand what gRPC is and when to choose it over REST
- Define a service contract using a .proto file and generate Java stubs
- Build a gRPC server in Spring Boot 4.1 with the @GrpcService annotation
- Test your gRPC server using grpcurl without writing a client
- Build a gRPC client using @ImportGrpcClients and a blocking stub

If you enjoyed this kickoff to the Spring Boot 4.1 series, smash that like button, subscribe for more videos in the series, and let me know in the comments what Spring Boot 4.1 features you want to see next!

0:00 - Intro — Spring Boot 4.1 Series
0:25 - Release Notes & Highlights Overview
1:20 - Spring gRPC Overview
2:00 - Why gRPC? REST Pain Points
3:30 - What gRPC Actually Is (Contract-First, Protobuf, HTTP/2)
5:00 - REST vs gRPC Comparison
6:00 - Spring Boot 4.1 Makes gRPC First Class
7:00 - Demo: Creating the Server from start.spring.io
8:00 - Writing the .proto File
9:30 - Building & Generating Protobuf Classes
10:30 - Implementing the GreeterService with @GrpcService
12:30 - Testing with grpcurl
14:00 - Adding Server Reflection
15:00 - Client Code Walkthrough
17:00 - Running the Client Against the Server
18:00 - Wrap Up — REST, GraphQL, or gRPC: It Depends

🔗Resources & Links mentioned in this video:
GitHub Repository (Server & Client Code): https://github.com/danvega/hello-grpc
Spring Boot 4.1 Release Highlights: https://spring.io/projects/release-highlights

👋🏻Connect with me:
Website: https://www.danvega.dev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealdanvega
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Getting Started with Spring gRPC in Spring Boot 4.1