How deeply does Elixir in Action, Third Edition cover remote procedure call?

Explains invocation, returned results, message costs, and the :rex implementation, while deferring broader distributed-system challenges.

Remote procedure call

As explained in Elixir in Action, Third Edition

A remote procedure call, or remote function call, is an invocation of an operation on another process or machine presented as though it were a local function call.

Remote procedure calls invoke functions on other nodes while returning a result to the caller. They help distribute load and preserve service when nodes fail. section 12.0 section 12.1.5

Use RPC when a fire-and-forget process operation is not sufficient:

Call :rpc.call/4 with a target node and MFA to execute a function remotely and obtain its result. section 12.1.5
Invoke functions across multiple nodes and collect their results when coordinating cluster-wide work such as replication. section 12.1.5
Treat message passing, copied message contents, delivery uncertainty, and response protocols as part of the communication design. section 12.0

The :rpc service builds on transparent message passing: it sends an MFA to each node’s registered :rex process, applies the function, and returns the response. section 12.1.5

iex(node1@localhost)1> :rpc.call(:node2@localhost, Kernel, :abs, [-1])
1

A minimal IEx call invokes Kernel.abs(-1) on node2 and returns 1 to node1. section 12.1.5

How Elixir in Action, Third Edition covers it

Cover of Elixir in Action, Third Edition

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Also explained in

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Server-Side WebAssemblyA remote procedure call is a communication mechanism that lets a program invoke a function or procedure on another system.
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Akka in Action, Second EditionA remote procedure call is a communication mechanism that invokes an operation in another process or system as though it were a local procedure.
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API Design PatternsA remote procedure call is a mechanism for invoking a procedure or method whose execution occurs on another computer or process.
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Advanced Algorithms and Data StructuresA remote call is an invocation of an operation provided by a component running outside the caller's local process or machine.

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Related concepts

gRPCimplemented by · gRPC is an open-source remote procedure call framework for defining services and invoking them across process or network boundaries, commonly using Protocol Buffers and HTTP/2.
HTTPuses · HTTP is a standardized application-layer protocol that defines request-and-response messages for transferring resource representations between networked systems.
message passinguses · A communication or computation technique in which entities exchange messages to transmit or propagate information, coordinate work, or update state.
SQLincludes · SQL is a standardized declarative language for defining, querying, and manipulating data and structures in relational database systems.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Elixir in Action, Third Edition. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.