client-server screen sharing with gRPC

GitHub: RemoteDeskropApp-gRPC

In my previous article about google.protobuf, I introduced a solution for exploring the implementation of the gRPC protocol on both client and server sides. This solution comprises two projects:

1. Client Side
2. Server Side

For simplicity, I included the same proto file in both projects:

syntax = "proto3";



service RemoteDesktopService {
    rpc ConnectUser(ConnectUserRequest) returns (ConnectUserResponse);
    rpc DisconnectUser(DisconnectUserRequest) returns (DisconnectUserResponse);
    rpc SendScreenCapture(ScreenCaptureRequest) returns (Empty);
    rpc SendPermissionRequest(PermissionRequest) returns (Empty);
    rpc ListenForNotifications(ConnectUserRequest) returns (stream Notification);
}


message Notification {
    string message = 1; // Notification message
    string senderId = 2;  // ID of the user sending the notification
    string targetId = 3;  // ID of the user getting the notification
    bytes imageData=4;
}


message ScreenCaptureRequest {
    string requesterId = 1; // ID of the client requesting permission
    string targetId = 2; 
    bytes imageData = 3; // The captured screen image data
}
message PermissionRequest {
    string requesterId = 1; // ID of the client requesting permission
    string targetId = 2; 
}


message ConnectUserRequest {
    string userId = 1; // Unique identifier for the user
    string userName = 2; // Display name of the user
}

message ConnectUserResponse {
    bool success = 1; // Indicates if the connection was successful
}

message DisconnectUserRequest {
    string userId = 1; // Unique identifier for the user
}

message DisconnectUserResponse {
    bool success = 1; // Indicates if the disconnection was successful
}

message Empty {}        

this file has 4 methods and 1 notification event.

Implementation Steps

1. Connecting Users: On the client side, every user connects to the server using the ConnectUser method.
2. Sending Permission Requests: Client A sends a request to Client B using the SendPermissionRequest.
3. Accepting Requests: If the target client accepts the request, the process for sending screen captures begins.
4. Capturing Screenshots: The target client sends screenshots to the server every second.
5. Notification to Requester: The server notifies the requester client through the ListenForNotifications event.
6. Receiving and Saving Images: Client A receives images every second and saves them in a designated folder.

Results and Future Applications

This gRPC-based Remote Desktop solution showcases a real-time communication system between clients and a server, effectively facilitating screen sharing and permission management.

By leveraging the gRPC protocol, the application achieves low latency and high efficiency, making it a robust choice for remote desktop solutions.

Feel free to check out the complete implementation on GitHub and share your thoughts or improvements!

#gRPC #RemoteDesktop #RemoteAccess #GoogleProtobuf #RealTimeCommunication #ScreenSharing #SoftwareDevelopment #ClientServerArchitecture #Programming #OpenSource #TechInnovation #CSharp #Networking #SoftwareEngineering #WebDevelopment