> Markdown version of [/videos/1964-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1964-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Boosting OpenSearch Performance: gRPC Search in Action Replacing text-heavy JSON with native gRPC binary serialization shrinks OpenSearch payloads by 53%. Learn how this architectural shift slashes latency for massive analytics workloads. - **Speakers:** [Sakshi Nasha](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@sakshi-nasha) - **Event:** World Congress 2026 Europe - Virtual Stage - **Published:** July 2, 2026 - **Duration:** 24:20 - **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1964-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action ## Summary Modern OpenSearch deployments process massive analytics workloads where the transport layer—specifically REST API communication and JSON serialization—creates a significant performance bottleneck. Because JSON requires transmitting repetitive field names across large datasets, the overhead of serialization, network transfer, and parsing severely limits scalability. To resolve this, OpenSearch adopted gRPC and Protocol Buffers (Protobuf), replacing text-heavy JSON with compact binary serialization that encodes fields as numerical identifiers to shrink payload sizes. Rather than relying on a proxy layer, OpenSearch integrated native gRPC support directly into its nodes. Maintaining feature parity between REST and gRPC initially posed a synchronization challenge, which developers solved by building an automated conversion pipeline. This pipeline translates OpenAPI specifications directly into Protobuf definitions, ensuring both protocols evolve synchronously without manual overhead. Additionally, because gRPC leverages HTTP/2 multiplexing, the system can process concurrent bulk requests over a single persistent connection, highly optimizing distributed architecture operations. Benchmark tests demonstrate substantial efficiency gains, particularly for node-to-node microservice communication. Implementing gRPC yielded a 53% reduction in payload size, driving up to a 22.6% decrease in P50 latency for bulk ingestions and a 17% throughput increase for KNN vector searches. While REST remains the preferred standard for simple debugging and broad ecosystem compatibility, native gRPC excels in data-intensive tasks like bulk ingestions and vector search, which are now generally available in OpenSearch 3.2. **Keywords:** opensearch performance, gRPC integration, protocol buffers, JSON serialization overhead, openapi conversion pipeline, HTTP/2 multiplexing, KNN vector search, bulk data ingestion, transport layer optimization, binary serialization, payload size reduction, microservice communication, REST vs gRPC ## Chapters 1. **Transport layer bottlenecks in modern OpenSearch applications** (01:33) — How API communication, serialization, and network transfers create major latency overheads in large-scale analytics workloads. 1. **The hidden performance costs of JSON serialization** (03:59) — Why the repetitive fields and larger payloads in schema-free JSON hamper network efficiency at scale. 1. **Reducing network overhead with Protobuf binary serialization** (05:54) — How encoding fields as compact numerical identifiers in Protobuf significantly reduces payload size and CPU usage. 1. **Decoupling serialization formats from transport protocols** (08:27) — Overcoming common misconceptions by demonstrating that Protobuf can be used with REST APIs independent of the gRPC framework. 1. **Implementing native gRPC and synchronizing with REST APIs** (10:04) — Resolving dual-maintenance bottlenecks by building an automated pipeline that converts OpenAPI specifications into Protobuf definitions. 1. **Supported OpenSearch APIs for gRPC in version 3.2** (12:35) — Reviewing current gRPC availability to understand support limitations for bulk ingestions and KNN vector search. 1. **Configuring gRPC bindings in the OpenSearch YAML** (13:21) — Configuring network layer properties to establish published ports and binding hosts for a local gRPC server. 1. **Benchmarking throughput and latency for KNN and bulk requests** (15:11) — Analyzing official test results that demonstrate massive latency reductions and throughput increases under gRPC compared to REST. 1. **Understanding the architectural drivers of gRPC performance gains** (18:05) — Why compact payloads and HTTP/2 multiplexing deliver concurrent processing with fewer connections and lower processing times. 1. **Choosing between gRPC and REST for specific use cases** (19:33) — Balancing the high-performance benefits of service-to-service gRPC with the simplicity and debugging friendliness of REST. 1. **Resources and opportunities for OpenSearch community contributions** (20:47) — Accessing key documentation and project roadmaps to facilitate open-source contributions to the OpenSearch ecosystem. ## Related Moments - [Supported native gRPC operations in current OpenSearch releases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1935-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action) (from "Boosting OpenSearch Performance: gRPC Search in Action") - [Configuring the gRPC server port bindings in OpenSearch](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1935-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action) (from "Boosting OpenSearch Performance: gRPC Search in Action") - [High performance communication protocols using gRPC](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1683-rest-in-peace-what-does-the-api-protocol-of-the-future-look-like-or-do-we-have-it-already) (from "REST in Peace? What does the API protocol of the future look like? Or do we have it already?") - [Introduction to OpenSearch and data management](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/490-search-and-aggregations-made-easy-with-opensearch-and-nodejs) (from "Search and aggregations made easy with OpenSearch and NodeJS") - [Benchmarking SearchOLAP against existing database engines](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100212-olap-for-ai-applications-and-why-you-should-care) (from "OLAP for AI Applications and why you should care") - [Evaluating architectural trade-offs between REST and gRPC](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1935-boosting-opensearch-performance-grpc-search-in-action) (from "Boosting OpenSearch Performance: gRPC Search in Action") ## Related Articles - [SEO in an AI world - Google vs. ChatGPT and survival tips for content creators](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/534-seo-in-an-ai-world-google-vs-chatgpt-and-survival-tips-for-content-creators) - [The Overflow: 5 Tools for Developers Working with JSON](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/706-the-overflow-5-tools-for-developers-working-with-json) - [Effortlessly Scale Prometheus With The Telemetry Data Platform – And Keep your Grafana Dashboards, Too!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/3-effortlessly-scale-prometheus-with-the-telemetry-data-platform-and-keep-your-grafana-dashboards-too) - [The Future of Open Source: A Deep Dive - Scott Chacon at WeAreDevelopers World Congress 2024](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/471-the-future-of-open-source-a-deep-dive-scott-chacon-at-wearedevelopers-world-congress-2024) ## Related Jobs - [Principal Engineer - AI Search & Vector Infrastructure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/319507-principal-engineer-ai-search-vector-infrastructure) at **Redis** - [Principal Engineer - AI Search & Vector Infrastructure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/353953-principal-engineer-ai-search-vector-infrastructure) at **Redis** - [Principal Engineer - AI Search & Vector Infrastructure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/381484-principal-engineer-ai-search-vector-infrastructure) at **Redis** - [Golang Software Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1652471-golang-software-engineer) at **Redis** - [Staff Software Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1425755-staff-software-engineer) at **GitHub** - [Senior Backend Developer — AI: MCP & Agent Engine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/48297-senior-backend-developer-ai-mcp-agent-engine) at **basebox GmbH**