Glossary · Web & App Development
tRPC
Overview
What tRPC is
tRPC (TypeScript Remote Procedure Call) is a framework for building APIs where the client and server share types automatically. You define procedures (functions) on the server, and the frontend calls them as if they were local functions, with full TypeScript autocomplete and type checking. There is no schema to write, no code generation, and no manual API types to keep in sync.
How it differs from REST and GraphQL
REST and GraphQL define an API contract that the frontend and backend must agree on separately. tRPC skips that layer: because both sides are TypeScript, types flow directly from server to client. This makes it fast to build and refactor, but it works best when both ends are TypeScript, typically within a single codebase or monorepo.
How an agency uses tRPC
tRPC is well suited to Next.js and full-stack TypeScript builds and to app backends and APIs where one team owns both sides. Paired with Prisma for the database and validated inputs, it delivers a type-safe path from database to UI, so a change in one place surfaces errors everywhere it affects. That tightens quality and speeds delivery.
Where we use it
Related Zen in Tech services
How our team puts tRPC to work in real projects.
FAQ
tRPC — common questions
tRPC vs GraphQL?
tRPC gives end-to-end type safety with almost no boilerplate but requires TypeScript on both ends, ideal for full-stack TypeScript apps. GraphQL is language-agnostic and better when many different or third-party clients consume the API. Choose tRPC for tightly coupled TS apps, GraphQL for broad, public APIs.
Is tRPC only for TypeScript?
Yes. tRPC's core benefit is sharing TypeScript types between client and server, so both sides must be TypeScript. If your frontend or clients use other languages, REST or GraphQL is a better fit.
Is tRPC production-ready?
Yes. tRPC is stable, widely adopted in the TypeScript and Next.js ecosystem, and used in production by many teams. It is a mature choice for full-stack TypeScript projects.
Need tRPC done right?
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