Step-by-Step Guide for Generating a gRPC Connector for WSO2 Integrator: MI

Unlock the Power of gRPC: Creating Custom Connectors for WSO2 Integrator:MI (Micro Integrator)

In today’s integration landscape, connectors are crucial in ensuring seamless communication between systems. Low-code platforms have become increasingly popular as organisations seek more efficient ways to handle data flow and automate processes. These platforms allow product teams to meet deadlines efficiently by reducing the need for manual coding and offering a more visual interface. Positioned between traditional coding and no-code platforms, low-code solutions offer a balance of simplicity and customisation. One of the key elements driving integration acceleration in low-code environments is the use of connectors. Connectors are essential components of any low-code platform, enabling integration with various protocols such as REST, gRPC, GraphQL, and more.

This article will guide you through the process of building a custom connector that allows you to integrate and invoke gRPC services within a low-code platform.

Understanding gRPC and MI Connectors

gRPC is an open-source remote procedure call (RPC) framework that utilises HTTP/2 for transport and Protocol Buffers for interface definition. It provides significant advantages over traditional REST APIs, including improved performance, strong typing, and bidirectional streaming capabilities.

WSO2 Integrator: MI (Micro Integrator) is a low-code software development product developed by WSO2. MI connectors act as a bridge between your integration workflows and external systems. By creating a custom gRPC connector, you can seamlessly integrate gRPC services into your MI-based integration scenarios, leveraging gRPC’s performance benefits while maintaining the low-code approach that MI offers.

In my previous article, we discussed how beneficial it is to have low code with gRPC: https://medium.com/@lnash94/grpc-with-low-code-a-modern-approach-to-scalable-apis-bd4bcf3684f9

The gRPC connector tool for MI

Generated gRPC connector logo

With the growing adoption of gRPC as a high-performance communication protocol, the goal is to develop a dedicated gRPC connector for WSO2 Integrator MI. This connector would enable integrators to efficiently manage gRPC services, offering a more comprehensive and flexible integration platform.

Since MI currently lacks built-in support for gRPC-based communication, providing a standalone gRPC connector is highly beneficial. This approach encapsulates all gRPC communication details, making integration smoother and more efficient.

In this context, we introduce the gRPC Connector Generator tool for WSO2 MI. Simply bring your .proto file, and we will help make your integration with the gRPC protocol seamless.

Now, let’s walk through the steps for generating your gRPC-based connector for MI integrations.

Generate a gRPC Connector for WSO2 Integrator: MI Step-by-Step

Prerequisites

• Java JDK: 8 or newer: java -version
• Apache Maven: 3.6. x or newer: mvn -version

1. Clone & Build the Generator tool

• $git clone https://github.com/wso2-extensions/esb-connector-tooling
• $cd mi-connector-generator
• $mvn clean install

A ZIP bundle is produced at target/mi-connector-generator-<version>.zip.

2. Unpack the Tool

• unzip target/mi-connector-generator-<version>.zip -d ~/tools/
• $cd ~/tools/mi-connector-generator-<version>/bin

3. Generate Your Connector

# macOS / Linux

• $ ./generate.sh <path/to/file.proto> <output/dir> [<miVersion>]

# Windows

• $ generate.bat <path\to\file.proto> <output\dir> [<miVersion>]

Arguments:

• 1st Argument: .proto file describing the service.
• 2nd Argument: Destination folder for the generated connector.
• 3rd Argument : Target MI version (defaults to the latest).

[embed]How to use gRPC connector tool for generating connector to WSO2 MI This is "How to use gRPC connector tool for generating connector to WSO2 MI" by Lnash Nissanka on Vimeo, the home for…vimeo.com

How to use the generated connector in the MI project

Step 1: Build the Generated Connector. Use Maven to build the generated connector:

$mvn clean install

Step 2: Import the Built Connector ZIP into MI

1. Create a new MI project.
2. Open the component mediator palette.
3. Select the Connection tab, then click Add New Connection.
4. Choose Import Connection using ZIP and select the generated connector ZIP file (the one obtained after building the connector).
5. After importing, you can use the connector in your integration by creating connections.

All related RPC calls will be listed under the mediator palette for easy access.

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Conclusions

In short, low-code platforms thrive on ready-made connectors to orchestrate fast, reliable integrations, and gRPC adds the speed, type-safety, and streaming power modern workloads demand.

By pairing WSO2 Integrator: MI with the new gRPC Connector Generator, teams can turn any .proto definition into a plug-and-play MI connector, combining gRPC’s high performance with MI’s visual, low-code experience. The result: quicker delivery cycles, cleaner architectures, and a future-proof path for integrating high-throughput services across your organisation.

Happy reading !!!