How to Build High‑Performance RPC Services with Webman’s tinywan/rpc Plugin

Why RPC?

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) allows a program on one server to invoke functions on another server over a network, mimicking local calls despite separate memory spaces.

Plugin Overview

The tinywan/rpc plugin is built for the Webman framework, leveraging its asynchronous, event‑driven architecture to provide a lightweight, fast RPC solution suitable for micro‑services, real‑time apps, and IoT.

Installation

Install via Composer: composer require tinywan/rpc The command downloads the package and integrates it into a Webman project; ensure the environment meets Webman's requirements.

Usage

Server‑side configuration

Create a service class under the service directory, e.g. service/User.php:

namespace service;

class User
{
    public function get($args)
    {
        return response_rpc_json(0, '获取成功', $args);
    }
}

This class defines a get method that returns a JSON response with a status code, message, and the supplied arguments.

Client call

From a client, open a TCP socket to the RPC server and send a JSON request:

// Connect to RPC server
$client = stream_socket_client('tcp://127.0.0.1:9512', $errorCode, $errorMessage);
if (false === $client) {
    throw new \Exception('rpc 连接失败: ' . $errorMessage);
}

// Prepare request data
$request = [
    'class'  => 'user',
    'method' => 'get',
    'args'   => [
        [
            'uid'      => 2023,
            'username' => 'Tinywan',
        ]
    ]
];

// Send request (Text protocol requires newline at end)
fwrite($client, json_encode($request) . "
");

// Read response
$result = fgets($client, 10240000);
$result = json_decode($result, true);
var_export($result);

Response examples

Successful call returns:

{
    "code": 0,
    "msg": "用户列表",
    "data": {
        "uid": 2025,
        "username": "Tinywan"
    }
}

Calling a non‑existent class yields an error response such as:

{
    "code": 404,
    "msg": "接口调用类不存在",
    "data": {}
}

Error logging

The plugin logs detailed errors. For example, a missing database column generates a log entry like:

[2025-08-16 14:46:26] default.ERROR: RPC Service Exception Message SQLSTATE[42S22]: Column not found: 1054 Unknown column 'to_user_id' in 'where clause' {"error":"SQLSTATE[42S22]: Column not found: 1054 Unknown column 'to_user_id' in 'where clause'","file":"/var/www/db/PDOConnection.php","line":797} []

Developers can use this information to quickly locate and fix the issue.

Plugin Advantages

Simple to use : abstracts network communication so remote calls feel like local method invocations.

High performance : built on Webman’s asynchronous, event‑driven model, handling concurrent requests efficiently.

Flexibility : fits micro‑services, real‑time communication, and IoT scenarios, extending PHP’s applicability.

Robust error handling : provides detailed logs for rapid debugging.

Real‑world Scenarios

Microservice architecture : cross‑server service calls for authentication or data processing.

Real‑time applications : chat, notifications, and other low‑latency features.

IoT systems : communication between servers and devices such as smart home appliances or shared‑bike platforms.

Screenshots