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Announcement: Sunsetting EventStoreDB TCP-based client protocol

Alexey Zimarev  |  16 October 2023

We're excited to share some important news regarding the evolution of EventStoreDB and its supported client protocols.

A brief look back

In 2020, we introduced a more efficient gRPC-based protocol, setting the stage for a broader and modernised EventStoreDB experience. Since then, we've expanded our libraries to cater to .NET, Java, NodeJS, Go, and Rust, moving beyond the limitations of the old TCP-based protocol which primarily served our .NET users.

Our next move

We want to share that our upcoming LTS version, 23.10, will be the last release to offer support for the old TCP-based client protocol. From the versions following 23.10 onward, we will be exclusively supporting the gRPC-based protocol in EventStoreDB.

Why this change?

This decision is in line with our commitment to drive innovation, enhance security, and simplify the architectural complexities for our users. By focusing on a single client protocol, our team can channel its energy and resources into creating more powerful, reliable, and feature-rich offerings for you.

We’ve got you covered

The upcoming LTS version will follow our regular supported version cycle, so it will receive updates and patches for two years. Even if you haven’t started moving to the new client library, there’s plenty of time to do so during the coming years. We’ve published the migration guide for .NET a while ago, but if you haven’t seen it yet - we encourage you to do so.

For the new .NET client, we plan to make some API improvements that would make it easier to work with, based on your existing experience with the old client. It’s worth mentioning here as well that we will make the new client support .NET Framework in addition to new .NET versions it supports now.

The current plan is that we add .NET Framework 4.8 as a supported framework version at the same time as we’ll deprecate support for .NET 5 and add support for .NET 8. If your applications use earlier .NET Framework versions, please reach out to us. Bear in mind that the .NET Framework version of the new client will only work on Windows as it’s the only way to support HTTP/2 with .NET Framework.

Your feedback matters

While we believe that this is a step in the right direction, we understand that transitions can sometimes pose challenges. We genuinely want to ensure that this shift is as smooth as possible for every member of our community.

If you anticipate any difficulties with this transition, or if there are specific reasons preventing you from migrating to the new protocol, we urge you to reach out to us. Your feedback will be invaluable in helping us understand your needs and guide you through any potential hurdles.

Looking ahead

The future of EventStoreDB is bright, and we are excited about the opportunities this change presents. We are grateful for your trust and support, and we are committed to continually providing you with the best event-sourced database experience.

Thank you for being a valued member of our community. Together, we will make event sourcing better, one update at a time.

Photo of Alexey Zimarev

Alexey Zimarev Alexey is the Head of Product Management for Event Store and the author of the book “Hands-on Domain-Driven Design with .NET Core”. His particular interests are in event-driven architectures, domain-driven design, distributed systems, and event-sourcing. Alexey contributes to open-source software as a member of MassTransit and Proto.Actor projects, and a maintainer of RestSharp. He manages the Domain-Driven Design Norway meetup group and speaks at technical conferences. Follow Alexey on Twitter at @Zimareff.