gRPC Runtime

Use typed spatial APIs without giving up the standards and clients you already run.

Honua moves new application traffic onto binary gRPC contracts while keeping GeoServices REST, OGC APIs, WFS, WMS, WMTS, and raster services available on the same runtime. That means you can modernize applications without standing up a second stack.

View the OGC Submission View SDKs Launch the Quickstart

Typed Protobuf contracts Unary and streaming patterns Standards still included Open submission path

Contract Example

rpc QueryFeatures(QueryFeaturesRequest)
    returns (QueryFeaturesResponse);

rpc StreamChanges(StreamChangesRequest)
    returns (stream FeatureChange);

message QueryFeaturesRequest {
  string collection = 1;
  string where = 2;
  bytes geometry = 3;
}

Why Teams Move

Clear contracts reduce integration guesswork. Binary transport lowers overhead for high-volume services, mobile sync, and internal application traffic.

Why gRPC

Use a runtime built for application traffic, not just text-based REST payloads.

Contracts

Give client teams typed inputs and typed responses.

Protobuf contracts make it clearer what each operation expects, which fields are optional, and how to version integrations over time.

Throughput

Reduce transport and parsing overhead for busy workloads.

App backends, integration services, and mobile sync flows benefit from a leaner transport than text-heavy JSON and XML patterns.

Streaming

Handle long-lived or high-volume exchanges cleanly.

Streaming opens the door for sync, telemetry, and event-heavy spatial workflows without forcing awkward polling loops into the design.

Coexistence

Modern application delivery does not need a separate GIS product line.

Honua keeps the compatibility and standards APIs in place while new services move to gRPC. The runtime is shared, the data model is shared, and the operational tooling is shared.

Audience	Interface	What stays simple
Current GIS clients	GeoServices REST, OGC APIs, WFS, WMS, WMTS	No forced rewrite before you are ready.
New application teams	gRPC plus language SDKs	Clearer contracts and lower integration overhead.
Internal automation	gRPC, admin clients, MCP agent tools	Governed access paths that match the workload.

Compatibility is what makes phased modernization practical. gRPC is what lets new applications use modern contracts instead of working around legacy conventions.

Open Standards Work

Build on the runtime today and review the open submission path at the same time.

Honua is publishing the gRPC work as an open specification path rather than keeping it locked inside one product. That means customers can evaluate the contract surface, track changes, and avoid single-vendor lock-in on the transport layer.

Open Contract

Proto definitions and interfaces are meant to be read and implemented.

Teams can inspect the structure, track changes, and understand how the runtime is shaping spatial operations for modern application traffic.

OGC Path

The OGC submission is a core part of the product, not an afterthought.

The goal is to make typed spatial APIs an open standard that teams can evaluate and adopt with confidence.

Next Step

See the published standards work or use an SDK against the runtime.

Review the conformance and submission page, or move directly into the SDKs if your team is already evaluating application integration paths.

OGC Submission SDKs GitOps + OTel