How Does gRPC's `mustEmbedUnimplemented` Method Enhance Forward Compatibility?

"grpc with mustEmbedUnimplemented" method: A leap forward in forward compatibility*

The introduction of the mustEmbedUnimplemented*** method in the gRPC-go framework has sparked discussions, raising questions about its purpose and the problems it addresses. Let's delve into the details to understand its significance.

Prior to this change, server implementations registered with gRPC could suffer from missing method implementations, detected only at compile time. The mustEmbedUnimplemented*** method enforces forward-compatibility, requiring server implementations to embed Unimplemented***ServiceServer.

This crucial change provides several benefits:

• Enhanced Server Stability: By embedding the unimplemented methods, servers are now intrinsically forward-compatible. When new methods are added to the API, servers will fail gracefully at runtime (with an codes.Unimplemented error) instead of crashing at compile time.
• Improved Tooling Support: Forward-compatibility also improves tooling support by facilitating detection of missing method implementations at runtime. This enables monitoring tools to alert developers before production issues arise.

Opting out of forward-compatibility remains possible by embedding Unsafe***ServiceServer instead. However, this practice is discouraged as it undermines forward-compatibility and may lead to undetected missing method implementations in production.

Generation of non-forward-compatible code is also possible by setting the require_unimplemented_servers option in protoc-gen-grpc-go to false. Nonetheless, this approach is strongly advised against due to compromised stability and reduced tooling support.

By embracing the mustEmbedUnimplemented*** method and its forward-compatibility benefits, developers can ensure the stability, reliability, and maintainability of their gRPC-based applications.

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