lib: add new gRPC-based northbound plugin

This is an experimental plugin for now. Full documentation will
come later.

Signed-off-by: Renato Westphal <renato@opensourcerouting.org>

12 files changed, 1438 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 5003c97572..7a1378d588 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 *.pb.h
 *.pb-c.h
 *.pb-c.c
+*.pb.cc
 *_clippy.c
 
 ### dist
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 9c6c8663ee..d5565104c1 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ include zebra/subdir.am
 include watchfrr/subdir.am
 include qpb/subdir.am
 include fpm/subdir.am
+include grpc/subdir.am
 include tools/subdir.am
 include solaris/subdir.am
 
@@ -198,6 +199,7 @@ EXTRA_DIST += \
 	doc/user/Makefile \
 	eigrpd/Makefile \
 	fpm/Makefile \
+	grpc/Makefile \
 	isisd/Makefile \
 	ldpd/Makefile \
 	lib/Makefile \
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 9ae196fcb1..6ebf9b16f4 100755
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -126,12 +126,15 @@ dnl Check CC and friends
 dnl --------------------
 dnl note orig_cflags is also used further down
 orig_cflags="$CFLAGS"
+orig_cxxflags="$CXXFLAGS"
 AC_LANG([C])
 AC_PROG_CC
 AC_PROG_CPP
+AC_PROG_CXX
 AM_PROG_CC_C_O
 dnl remove autoconf default "-g -O2"
 CFLAGS="$orig_cflags"
+CXXFLAGS="$orig_cxxflags"
 AC_PROG_CC_C99
 dnl NB: see C11 below
 
@@ -447,6 +450,8 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE([confd],
   AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-confd=ARG], [enable confd integration]))
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([sysrepo],
   AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-sysrepo], [enable sysrepo integration]))
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([grpc],
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-grpc], [enable the gRPC northbound plugin]))
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([zeromq],
   AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-zeromq], [enable ZeroMQ handler (libfrrzmq)]))
 AC_ARG_WITH([libpam],
@@ -1679,6 +1684,25 @@ fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL([SYSREPO], [test "x$enable_sysrepo" = "xyes"])
 
 dnl ---------------
+dnl gRPC
+dnl ---------------
+if test "$enable_grpc" = "yes"; then
+  PKG_CHECK_MODULES([GRPC], [grpc grpc++ protobuf], [
+    AC_CHECK_PROGS([PROTOC], [protoc], [/bin/false])
+    if test "$PROTOC" = "/bin/false"; then
+      AC_MSG_FAILURE([grpc requested but protoc not found.])
+    fi
+
+    AC_DEFINE([HAVE_GRPC], [1], [Enable the gRPC northbound plugin])
+    GRPC=true
+  ], [
+    GRPC=false
+    AC_MSG_ERROR([grpc/grpc++ were not found on your system.])
+  ])
+fi
+AM_CONDITIONAL([GRPC], [test "x$enable_grpc" = "xyes"])
+
+dnl ---------------
 dnl math
 dnl ---------------
 AC_SEARCH_LIBS([sqrt], [m])
diff --git a/grpc/Makefile b/grpc/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8748286629
--- /dev/null
+++ b/grpc/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+all: ALWAYS
+	@$(MAKE) -s -C .. grpc/libfrrgrpc_pb.la
+%: ALWAYS
+	@$(MAKE) -s -C .. grpc/$@
+
+Makefile:
+	#nothing
+ALWAYS:
+.PHONY: ALWAYS makefiles
+.SUFFIXES:
diff --git a/grpc/frr-northbound.proto b/grpc/frr-northbound.proto
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d070d715e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/grpc/frr-northbound.proto
@@ -0,0 +1,412 @@
+//
+// Copyright (C) 2019  NetDEF, Inc.
+//                     Renato Westphal
+//
+// This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+// under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
+// Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option)
+// any later version.
+//
+// This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+// ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
+// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for
+// more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
+// with this program; see the file COPYING; if not, write to the Free Software
+// Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
+//
+
+syntax = "proto3";
+
+package frr;
+
+// Service specification for the FRR northbound interface.
+service Northbound {
+  // Retrieve the capabilities supported by the target.
+  rpc GetCapabilities(GetCapabilitiesRequest) returns (GetCapabilitiesResponse) {}
+
+  // Retrieve configuration data, state data or both from the target.
+  rpc Get(GetRequest) returns (stream GetResponse) {}
+
+  // Create a new candidate configuration and return a reference to it. The
+  // created candidate is a copy of the running configuration.
+  rpc CreateCandidate(CreateCandidateRequest) returns (CreateCandidateResponse) {}
+
+  // Delete a candidate configuration.
+  rpc DeleteCandidate(DeleteCandidateRequest) returns (DeleteCandidateResponse) {}
+
+  // Update a candidate configuration by rebasing the changes on top of the
+  // latest running configuration. Resolve conflicts automatically by giving
+  // preference to the changes done in the candidate configuration.
+  rpc UpdateCandidate(UpdateCandidateRequest) returns (UpdateCandidateResponse) {}
+
+  // Edit a candidate configuration. All changes are discarded if any error
+  // happens.
+  rpc EditCandidate(EditCandidateRequest) returns (EditCandidateResponse) {}
+
+  // Load configuration data into a candidate configuration. Both merge and
+  // replace semantics are supported.
+  rpc LoadToCandidate(LoadToCandidateRequest) returns (LoadToCandidateResponse) {}
+
+  // Create a new configuration transaction using a two-phase commit protocol.
+  rpc Commit(CommitRequest) returns (CommitResponse) {}
+
+  // List the metadata of all configuration transactions recorded in the
+  // transactions database.
+  rpc ListTransactions(ListTransactionsRequest) returns (stream ListTransactionsResponse) {}
+
+  // Fetch a configuration (identified by its transaction ID) from the
+  // transactions database.
+  rpc GetTransaction(GetTransactionRequest) returns (GetTransactionResponse) {}
+
+  // Lock the running configuration, preventing other users from changing it.
+  rpc LockConfig(LockConfigRequest) returns (LockConfigResponse) {}
+
+  // Unlock the running configuration.
+  rpc UnlockConfig(UnlockConfigRequest) returns (UnlockConfigResponse) {}
+
+  // Execute a YANG RPC.
+  rpc Execute(ExecuteRequest) returns (ExecuteResponse) {}
+}
+
+// ----------------------- Parameters and return types -------------------------
+
+//
+// RPC: GetCapabilities()
+//
+message GetCapabilitiesRequest {
+  // Empty.
+}
+
+message GetCapabilitiesResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+
+  // FRR version.
+  string frr_version = 1;
+
+  // Indicates whether FRR was compiled with support for configuration
+  // rollbacks or not (--enable-config-rollbacks).
+  bool rollback_support = 2;
+
+  // Supported schema modules.
+  repeated ModuleData supported_modules = 3;
+
+  // Supported encodings.
+  repeated Encoding supported_encodings = 4;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: Get()
+//
+message GetRequest {
+  // Type of elements within the data tree.
+  enum DataType {
+    // All data elements.
+    ALL = 0;
+
+    // Config elements.
+    CONFIG = 1;
+
+    // State elements.
+    STATE = 2;
+  }
+
+  // The type of data being requested.
+  DataType type = 1;
+
+  // Encoding to be used.
+  Encoding encoding = 2;
+
+  // Include implicit default nodes.
+  bool with_defaults = 3;
+
+  // Paths requested by the client.
+  repeated string path = 4;
+}
+
+message GetResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT: Invalid YANG data path.
+
+  // Timestamp in nanoseconds since Epoch.
+  int64 timestamp = 1;
+
+  // The requested data.
+  DataTree data = 2;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: CreateCandidate()
+//
+message CreateCandidateRequest {
+  // Empty.
+}
+
+message CreateCandidateResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED: can't create candidate
+  //   configuration.
+
+  // Handle to the new created candidate configuration.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: DeleteCandidate()
+//
+message DeleteCandidateRequest {
+  // Candidate configuration to delete.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+}
+
+message DeleteCandidateResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND: Candidate wasn't found.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: UpdateCandidate()
+//
+message UpdateCandidateRequest {
+  // Candidate configuration to update.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+}
+
+message UpdateCandidateResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND: Candidate wasn't found.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: EditCandidate()
+//
+message EditCandidateRequest {
+  // Candidate configuration that is going to be edited.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+
+  // Data elements to be created or updated.
+  repeated PathValue update = 2;
+
+  // Paths to be deleted from the data tree.
+  repeated PathValue delete = 3;
+}
+
+message EditCandidateResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND: Candidate wasn't found.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT: An error occurred while editing the
+  //   candidate configuration.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: LoadToCandidate()
+//
+message LoadToCandidateRequest {
+  enum LoadType {
+    // Merge the data tree into the candidate configuration.
+    MERGE = 0;
+
+    // Replace the candidate configuration by the provided data tree.
+    REPLACE = 1;
+  }
+
+  // Candidate configuration that is going to be edited.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+
+  // Load operation to apply.
+  LoadType type = 2;
+
+  // Configuration data.
+  DataTree config = 3;
+}
+
+message LoadToCandidateResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT: An error occurred while performing
+  //   the load operation.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: Commit()
+//
+message CommitRequest {
+  enum Phase {
+    // Validate if the configuration changes are valid (phase 0).
+    VALIDATE = 0;
+
+    // Prepare resources to apply the configuration changes (phase 1).
+    PREPARE = 1;
+
+    // Release previously allocated resources (phase 2).
+    ABORT = 2;
+
+    // Apply the configuration changes (phase 2).
+    APPLY = 3;
+
+    // All of the above (VALIDATE + PREPARE + ABORT/APPLY).
+    //
+    // This option can't be used to implement network-wide transactions,
+    // since they require the manager entity to take into account the results
+    // of the preparation phase of multiple managed devices.
+    ALL = 4;
+  }
+
+  // Candidate configuration that is going to be committed.
+  uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+
+  // Transaction phase.
+  Phase phase = 2;
+
+  // Assign a comment to this commit.
+  string comment = 3;
+}
+
+message CommitResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION: misuse of the two-phase commit
+  //   protocol.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT: Validation error.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED: Failure to allocate resource.
+
+  // ID of the created configuration transaction (when the phase is APPLY
+  // or ALL).
+  uint32 transaction_id = 1;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: ListTransactions()
+//
+message ListTransactionsRequest {
+  // Empty.
+}
+
+message ListTransactionsResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+
+  // Transaction ID.
+  uint32 id = 1;
+
+  // Client that committed the transaction.
+  string client = 2;
+
+  // Date and time the transaction was committed.
+  string date = 3;
+
+  // Comment assigned to the transaction.
+  string comment = 4;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: GetTransaction()
+//
+message GetTransactionRequest {
+  // Transaction to retrieve.
+  uint32 transaction_id = 1;
+
+  // Encoding to be used.
+  Encoding encoding = 2;
+
+  // Include implicit default nodes.
+  bool with_defaults = 3;
+}
+
+message GetTransactionResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND: Transaction wasn't found in the transactions
+  //   database.
+
+  DataTree config = 1;
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: LockConfig()
+//
+message LockConfigRequest {
+  // Empty.
+}
+
+message LockConfigResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION: Running configuration is
+  //   locked already.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: UnlockConfig()
+//
+message UnlockConfigRequest {
+  // Empty.
+}
+
+message UnlockConfigResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION: Running configuration isn't
+  //   locked.
+}
+
+//
+// RPC: Execute()
+//
+message ExecuteRequest {
+  // Path of the YANG RPC or YANG Action.
+  string path = 1;
+
+  // Input parameters.
+  repeated PathValue input = 2;
+}
+
+message ExecuteResponse {
+  // Return values:
+  // - grpc::StatusCode::OK: Success.
+
+  // Output parameters.
+  repeated PathValue output = 1;
+}
+
+// -------------------------------- Definitions --------------------------------
+
+// YANG module.
+message ModuleData {
+  // Name of the YANG module;
+  string name = 1;
+
+  // Organization publishing the module.
+  string organization = 2;
+
+  // Latest revision of the module;
+  string revision = 3;
+}
+
+// Supported encodings for YANG instance data.
+enum Encoding {
+  JSON = 0;
+  XML = 1;
+}
+
+// Path-value pair representing a data element.
+message PathValue {
+  // YANG data path.
+  string path = 1;
+
+  // Data value.
+  string value = 2;
+}
+
+// YANG instance data.
+message DataTree {
+  Encoding encoding = 1;
+  string data = 2;
+}
diff --git a/grpc/subdir.am b/grpc/subdir.am
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3fb163fccf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/grpc/subdir.am
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+if GRPC
+lib_LTLIBRARIES += grpc/libfrrgrpc_pb.la
+endif
+
+grpc_libfrrgrpc_pb_la_LDFLAGS = -version-info 0:0:0
+grpc_libfrrgrpc_pb_la_CPPFLAGS = $(AM_CPPFLAGS) $(GRPC_CXXFLAGS)
+
+nodist_grpc_libfrrgrpc_pb_la_SOURCES = \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.pb.cc \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.grpc.pb.cc \
+	# end
+
+CLEANFILES += \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.pb.cc \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.pb.h \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.grpc.pb.cc \
+	grpc/frr-northbound.grpc.pb.h \
+	# end
+
+EXTRA_DIST += grpc/frr-northbound.proto
+
+AM_V_PROTOC = $(am__v_PROTOC_$(V))
+am__v_PROTOC_ = $(am__v_PROTOC_$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY))
+am__v_PROTOC_0 = @echo "  PROTOC" $@;
+am__v_PROTOC_1 =
+
+.proto.pb.cc:
+	$(AM_V_PROTOC)$(PROTOC) -I$(top_srcdir) --cpp_out=$(top_srcdir) $(top_srcdir)/$^
+.proto.grpc.pb.cc:
+	$(AM_V_PROTOC)$(PROTOC) -I$(top_srcdir) --grpc_out=$(top_srcdir) --plugin=protoc-gen-grpc=`which grpc_cpp_plugin` $(top_srcdir)/$^
diff --git a/lib/lib_errors.c b/lib/lib_errors.c
index 5f6c25b770..b6c764d873 100644
--- a/lib/lib_errors.c
+++ b/lib/lib_errors.c
@@ -333,6 +333,12 @@ static struct log_ref ferr_lib_err[] = {
 		.suggestion = "Open an Issue with all relevant log files and restart FRR"
 	},
 	{
+		.code = EC_LIB_GRPC_INIT,
+		.title = "gRPC initialization error",
+		.description = "Upon startup FRR failed to properly initialize and startup the gRPC northbound plugin",
+		.suggestion = "Check if the gRPC libraries are installed correctly in the system.",
+	},
+	{
 		.code = EC_LIB_NB_CB_CONFIG_ABORT,
 		.title = "A northbound configuration callback has failed in the ABORT phase",
 		.description = "A callback used to process a configuration change has returned an error while trying to abort a change",
diff --git a/lib/lib_errors.h b/lib/lib_errors.h
index fc405c2098..39b39fb065 100644
--- a/lib/lib_errors.h
+++ b/lib/lib_errors.h
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ enum lib_log_refs {
 	EC_LIB_SYSREPO_INIT,
 	EC_LIB_SYSREPO_DATA_CONVERT,
 	EC_LIB_LIBSYSREPO,
+	EC_LIB_GRPC_INIT,
 	EC_LIB_ID_CONSISTENCY,
 	EC_LIB_ID_EXHAUST,
 };
diff --git a/lib/northbound.c b/lib/northbound.c
index 6c68772cf8..e8b3e46c19 100644
--- a/lib/northbound.c
+++ b/lib/northbound.c
@@ -1827,6 +1827,8 @@ const char *nb_client_name(enum nb_client client)
 		return "ConfD";
 	case NB_CLIENT_SYSREPO:
 		return "Sysrepo";
+	case NB_CLIENT_GRPC:
+		return "gRPC";
 	default:
 		return "unknown";
 	}
diff --git a/lib/northbound.h b/lib/northbound.h
index 909bb08ebe..8f6753506b 100644
--- a/lib/northbound.h
+++ b/lib/northbound.h
@@ -418,6 +418,7 @@ enum nb_client {
 	NB_CLIENT_CLI,
 	NB_CLIENT_CONFD,
 	NB_CLIENT_SYSREPO,
+	NB_CLIENT_GRPC,
 };
 
 /* Northbound configuration. */
diff --git a/lib/northbound_grpc.cpp b/lib/northbound_grpc.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a55da23dd1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/northbound_grpc.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,936 @@
+//
+// Copyright (C) 2019  NetDEF, Inc.
+//                     Renato Westphal
+//
+// This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+// under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
+// Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option)
+// any later version.
+//
+// This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+// ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
+// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for
+// more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
+// with this program; see the file COPYING; if not, write to the Free Software
+// Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
+//
+
+#include <zebra.h>
+
+#include "log.h"
+#include "libfrr.h"
+#include "version.h"
+#include "command.h"
+#include "lib_errors.h"
+#include "northbound.h"
+#include "northbound_db.h"
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include <sstream>
+#include <memory>
+#include <string>
+
+#include <grpcpp/grpcpp.h>
+#include "grpc/frr-northbound.grpc.pb.h"
+
+#define GRPC_DEFAULT_PORT 50051
+
+/*
+ * NOTE: we can't use the FRR debugging infrastructure here since it uses
+ * atomics and C++ has a different atomics API. Enable gRPC debugging
+ * unconditionally until we figure out a way to solve this problem.
+ */
+static bool nb_dbg_client_grpc = 1;
+
+static pthread_t grpc_pthread;
+
+class NorthboundImpl final : public frr::Northbound::Service
+{
+      public:
+	NorthboundImpl(void)
+	{
+		_nextCandidateId = 0;
+	}
+
+	~NorthboundImpl(void)
+	{
+		// Delete candidates.
+		for (auto it = _candidates.begin(); it != _candidates.end();
+		     it++)
+			delete_candidate(&it->second);
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	GetCapabilities(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			frr::GetCapabilitiesRequest const *request,
+			frr::GetCapabilitiesResponse *response) override
+	{
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC GetCapabilities()");
+
+		// Response: string frr_version = 1;
+		response->set_frr_version(FRR_VERSION);
+
+		// Response: bool rollback_support = 2;
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_ROLLBACKS
+		response->set_rollback_support(true);
+#else
+		response->set_rollback_support(false);
+#endif
+
+		// Response: repeated ModuleData supported_modules = 3;
+		struct yang_module *module;
+		RB_FOREACH (module, yang_modules, &yang_modules) {
+			auto m = response->add_supported_modules();
+
+			m->set_name(module->name);
+			if (module->info->rev_size)
+				m->set_revision(module->info->rev[0].date);
+			m->set_organization(module->info->org);
+		}
+
+		// Response: repeated Encoding supported_encodings = 4;
+		response->add_supported_encodings(frr::JSON);
+		response->add_supported_encodings(frr::XML);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status Get(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			 frr::GetRequest const *request,
+			 grpc::ServerWriter<frr::GetResponse> *writer) override
+	{
+		// Request: DataType type = 1;
+		int type = request->type();
+		// Request: Encoding encoding = 2;
+		frr::Encoding encoding = request->encoding();
+		// Request: bool with_defaults = 3;
+		bool with_defaults = request->with_defaults();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC Get(type: %u, encoding: %u, with_defaults: %u)",
+				type, encoding, with_defaults);
+
+		// Request: repeated string path = 4;
+		auto paths = request->path();
+		for (const std::string &path : paths) {
+			frr::GetResponse response;
+			grpc::Status status;
+
+			// Response: int64 timestamp = 1;
+			response.set_timestamp(time(NULL));
+
+			// Response: DataTree data = 2;
+			auto *data = response.mutable_data();
+			data->set_encoding(request->encoding());
+			status = get_path(data, path, type,
+					  encoding2lyd_format(encoding),
+					  with_defaults);
+
+			// Something went wrong...
+			if (!status.ok())
+				return status;
+
+			writer->Write(response);
+		}
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC Get() end");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	CreateCandidate(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			frr::CreateCandidateRequest const *request,
+			frr::CreateCandidateResponse *response) override
+	{
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC CreateCandidate()");
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = create_candidate();
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED,
+				"Can't create candidate configuration");
+
+		// Response: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		response->set_candidate_id(candidate->id);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	DeleteCandidate(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			frr::DeleteCandidateRequest const *request,
+			frr::DeleteCandidateResponse *response) override
+	{
+		// Request: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		uint32_t candidate_id = request->candidate_id();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC DeleteCandidate(candidate_id: %u)",
+				candidate_id);
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = get_candidate(candidate_id);
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+				"candidate configuration not found");
+
+		delete_candidate(candidate);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	UpdateCandidate(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			frr::UpdateCandidateRequest const *request,
+			frr::UpdateCandidateResponse *response) override
+	{
+		// Request: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		uint32_t candidate_id = request->candidate_id();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC UpdateCandidate(candidate_id: %u)",
+				candidate_id);
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = get_candidate(candidate_id);
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+				"candidate configuration not found");
+
+		if (candidate->transaction)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION,
+				"candidate is in the middle of a transaction");
+
+		if (nb_candidate_update(candidate->config) != NB_OK)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+				"failed to update candidate configuration");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	EditCandidate(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+		      frr::EditCandidateRequest const *request,
+		      frr::EditCandidateResponse *response) override
+	{
+		// Request: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		uint32_t candidate_id = request->candidate_id();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC EditCandidate(candidate_id: %u)",
+				candidate_id);
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = get_candidate(candidate_id);
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+				"candidate configuration not found");
+
+		// Create a copy of the candidate. For consistency, we need to
+		// ensure that either all changes are accepted or none are (in
+		// the event of an error).
+		struct nb_config *candidate_tmp =
+			nb_config_dup(candidate->config);
+
+		auto pvs = request->update();
+		for (const frr::PathValue &pv : pvs) {
+			if (yang_dnode_edit(candidate_tmp->dnode, pv.path(),
+					    pv.value())
+			    != 0) {
+				nb_config_free(candidate_tmp);
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					"Failed to update \"" + pv.path()
+						+ "\"");
+			}
+		}
+
+		pvs = request->delete_();
+		for (const frr::PathValue &pv : pvs) {
+			if (yang_dnode_delete(candidate_tmp->dnode, pv.path())
+			    != 0) {
+				nb_config_free(candidate_tmp);
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					"Failed to remove \"" + pv.path()
+						+ "\"");
+			}
+		}
+
+		// No errors, accept all changes.
+		nb_config_replace(candidate->config, candidate_tmp, false);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	LoadToCandidate(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			frr::LoadToCandidateRequest const *request,
+			frr::LoadToCandidateResponse *response) override
+	{
+		// Request: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		uint32_t candidate_id = request->candidate_id();
+		// Request: LoadType type = 2;
+		int load_type = request->type();
+		// Request: DataTree config = 3;
+		auto config = request->config();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC LoadToCandidate(candidate_id: %u)",
+				candidate_id);
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = get_candidate(candidate_id);
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+				"candidate configuration not found");
+
+		struct lyd_node *dnode = dnode_from_data_tree(&config, true);
+		if (!dnode)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+				"Failed to parse the configuration");
+
+		struct nb_config *loaded_config = nb_config_new(dnode);
+
+		if (load_type == frr::LoadToCandidateRequest::REPLACE)
+			nb_config_replace(candidate->config, loaded_config,
+					  false);
+		else if (nb_config_merge(candidate->config, loaded_config,
+					 false)
+			 != NB_OK)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+				"Failed to merge the loaded configuration");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status Commit(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			    frr::CommitRequest const *request,
+			    frr::CommitResponse *response) override
+	{
+		// Request: uint32 candidate_id = 1;
+		uint32_t candidate_id = request->candidate_id();
+		// Request: Phase phase = 2;
+		int phase = request->phase();
+		// Request: string comment = 3;
+		const std::string comment = request->comment();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC Commit(candidate_id: %u)",
+				   candidate_id);
+
+		// Find candidate configuration.
+		struct candidate *candidate = get_candidate(candidate_id);
+		if (!candidate)
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::NOT_FOUND,
+				"candidate configuration not found");
+
+		int ret = NB_OK;
+		uint32_t transaction_id = 0;
+
+		// Check for misuse of the two-phase commit protocol.
+		switch (phase) {
+		case frr::CommitRequest::PREPARE:
+		case frr::CommitRequest::ALL:
+			if (candidate->transaction)
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION,
+					"pending transaction in progress");
+			break;
+		case frr::CommitRequest::ABORT:
+		case frr::CommitRequest::APPLY:
+			if (!candidate->transaction)
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION,
+					"no transaction in progress");
+			break;
+		default:
+			break;
+		}
+
+		// Execute the user request.
+		switch (phase) {
+		case frr::CommitRequest::VALIDATE:
+			ret = nb_candidate_validate(candidate->config);
+			break;
+		case frr::CommitRequest::PREPARE:
+			ret = nb_candidate_commit_prepare(
+				candidate->config, NB_CLIENT_GRPC, NULL,
+				comment.c_str(), &candidate->transaction);
+			break;
+		case frr::CommitRequest::ABORT:
+			nb_candidate_commit_abort(candidate->transaction);
+			break;
+		case frr::CommitRequest::APPLY:
+			nb_candidate_commit_apply(candidate->transaction, true,
+						  &transaction_id);
+			break;
+		case frr::CommitRequest::ALL:
+			ret = nb_candidate_commit(
+				candidate->config, NB_CLIENT_GRPC, NULL, true,
+				comment.c_str(), &transaction_id);
+			break;
+		}
+
+		// Map northbound error codes to gRPC error codes.
+		switch (ret) {
+		case NB_ERR_NO_CHANGES:
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::ABORTED,
+				"No configuration changes detected");
+		case NB_ERR_LOCKED:
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::UNAVAILABLE,
+				"There's already a transaction in progress");
+		case NB_ERR_VALIDATION:
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					    "Validation error");
+		case NB_ERR_RESOURCE:
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED,
+				"Failed do allocate resources");
+		case NB_ERR:
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+					    "Internal error");
+		default:
+			break;
+		}
+
+		// Response: uint32 transaction_id = 1;
+		if (transaction_id)
+			response->set_transaction_id(transaction_id);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	ListTransactions(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			 frr::ListTransactionsRequest const *request,
+			 grpc::ServerWriter<frr::ListTransactionsResponse>
+				 *writer) override
+	{
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC ListTransactions()");
+
+		nb_db_transactions_iterate(list_transactions_cb, writer);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status
+	GetTransaction(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+		       frr::GetTransactionRequest const *request,
+		       frr::GetTransactionResponse *response) override
+	{
+		struct nb_config *nb_config;
+
+		// Request: uint32 transaction_id = 1;
+		uint32_t transaction_id = request->transaction_id();
+		// Request: Encoding encoding = 2;
+		frr::Encoding encoding = request->encoding();
+		// Request: bool with_defaults = 3;
+		bool with_defaults = request->with_defaults();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug(
+				"received RPC GetTransaction(transaction_id: %u, encoding: %u)",
+				transaction_id, encoding);
+
+		// Load configuration from the transactions database.
+		nb_config = nb_db_transaction_load(transaction_id);
+		if (!nb_config)
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					    "Transaction not found");
+
+		// Response: DataTree config = 1;
+		auto config = response->mutable_config();
+		config->set_encoding(encoding);
+
+		// Dump data using the requested format.
+		if (data_tree_from_dnode(config, nb_config->dnode,
+					 encoding2lyd_format(encoding),
+					 with_defaults)
+		    != 0) {
+			nb_config_free(nb_config);
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+					    "Failed to dump data");
+		}
+
+		nb_config_free(nb_config);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status LockConfig(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+				frr::LockConfigRequest const *request,
+				frr::LockConfigResponse *response) override
+	{
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC LockConfig()");
+
+		if (nb_running_lock(NB_CLIENT_GRPC, NULL))
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION,
+				"running configuration is locked already");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status UnlockConfig(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+				  frr::UnlockConfigRequest const *request,
+				  frr::UnlockConfigResponse *response) override
+	{
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC UnlockConfig()");
+
+		if (nb_running_unlock(NB_CLIENT_GRPC, NULL))
+			return grpc::Status(
+				grpc::StatusCode::FAILED_PRECONDITION,
+				"failed to unlock the running configuration");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	grpc::Status Execute(grpc::ServerContext *context,
+			     frr::ExecuteRequest const *request,
+			     frr::ExecuteResponse *response) override
+	{
+		struct nb_node *nb_node;
+		struct list *input_list;
+		struct list *output_list;
+		struct listnode *node;
+		struct yang_data *data;
+		const char *xpath;
+
+		// Request: string path = 1;
+		xpath = request->path().c_str();
+
+		if (nb_dbg_client_grpc)
+			zlog_debug("received RPC Execute(path: \"%s\")", xpath);
+
+		if (request->path().empty())
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					    "Data path is empty");
+
+		nb_node = nb_node_find(xpath);
+		if (!nb_node)
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					    "Unknown data path");
+
+		input_list = yang_data_list_new();
+		output_list = yang_data_list_new();
+
+		// Read input parameters.
+		auto input = request->input();
+		for (const frr::PathValue &pv : input) {
+			// Request: repeated PathValue input = 2;
+			data = yang_data_new(pv.path().c_str(),
+					     pv.value().c_str());
+			listnode_add(input_list, data);
+		}
+
+		// Execute callback registered for this XPath.
+		if (nb_node->cbs.rpc(xpath, input_list, output_list) != NB_OK) {
+			flog_warn(EC_LIB_NB_CB_RPC,
+				  "%s: rpc callback failed: %s", __func__,
+				  xpath);
+			list_delete(&input_list);
+			list_delete(&output_list);
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+					    "RPC failed");
+		}
+
+		// Process output parameters.
+		for (ALL_LIST_ELEMENTS_RO(output_list, node, data)) {
+			// Response: repeated PathValue output = 1;
+			frr::PathValue *pv = response->add_output();
+			pv->set_path(data->xpath);
+			pv->set_value(data->value);
+		}
+
+		// Release memory.
+		list_delete(&input_list);
+		list_delete(&output_list);
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+      private:
+	struct candidate {
+		uint32_t id;
+		struct nb_config *config;
+		struct nb_transaction *transaction;
+	};
+	std::map<uint32_t, struct candidate> _candidates;
+	uint32_t _nextCandidateId;
+
+	static int yang_dnode_edit(struct lyd_node *dnode,
+				   const std::string &path,
+				   const std::string &value)
+	{
+		ly_errno = LY_SUCCESS;
+		dnode = lyd_new_path(dnode, ly_native_ctx, path.c_str(),
+				     (void *)value.c_str(),
+				     (LYD_ANYDATA_VALUETYPE)0,
+				     LYD_PATH_OPT_UPDATE);
+		if (!dnode && ly_errno != LY_SUCCESS) {
+			flog_warn(EC_LIB_LIBYANG, "%s: lyd_new_path() failed",
+				  __func__);
+			return -1;
+		}
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	static int yang_dnode_delete(struct lyd_node *dnode,
+				     const std::string &path)
+	{
+		dnode = yang_dnode_get(dnode, path.c_str());
+		if (!dnode)
+			return -1;
+
+		lyd_free(dnode);
+
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	static LYD_FORMAT encoding2lyd_format(enum frr::Encoding encoding)
+	{
+		switch (encoding) {
+		case frr::JSON:
+			return LYD_JSON;
+		case frr::XML:
+			return LYD_XML;
+		}
+	}
+
+	static int get_oper_data_cb(const struct lys_node *snode,
+				    struct yang_translator *translator,
+				    struct yang_data *data, void *arg)
+	{
+		struct lyd_node *dnode = static_cast<struct lyd_node *>(arg);
+		int ret = yang_dnode_edit(dnode, data->xpath, data->value);
+		yang_data_free(data);
+
+		return (ret == 0) ? NB_OK : NB_ERR;
+	}
+
+	static void list_transactions_cb(void *arg, int transaction_id,
+					 const char *client_name,
+					 const char *date, const char *comment)
+	{
+		grpc::ServerWriter<frr::ListTransactionsResponse> *writer =
+			static_cast<grpc::ServerWriter<
+				frr::ListTransactionsResponse> *>(arg);
+		frr::ListTransactionsResponse response;
+
+		// Response: uint32 id = 1;
+		response.set_id(transaction_id);
+
+		// Response: string client = 2;
+		response.set_client(client_name);
+
+		// Response: string date = 3;
+		response.set_date(date);
+
+		// Response: string comment = 4;
+		response.set_comment(comment);
+
+		writer->Write(response);
+	}
+
+	static int data_tree_from_dnode(frr::DataTree *dt,
+					const struct lyd_node *dnode,
+					LYD_FORMAT lyd_format,
+					bool with_defaults)
+	{
+		char *strp;
+		int options = 0;
+
+		SET_FLAG(options, LYP_FORMAT | LYP_WITHSIBLINGS);
+		if (with_defaults)
+			SET_FLAG(options, LYP_WD_ALL);
+		else
+			SET_FLAG(options, LYP_WD_TRIM);
+
+		if (lyd_print_mem(&strp, dnode, lyd_format, options) == 0) {
+			if (strp) {
+				dt->set_data(strp);
+				free(strp);
+			}
+			return 0;
+		}
+
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	static struct lyd_node *dnode_from_data_tree(const frr::DataTree *dt,
+						     bool config_only)
+	{
+		struct lyd_node *dnode;
+		int options;
+
+		if (config_only)
+			options = LYD_OPT_CONFIG;
+		else
+			options = LYD_OPT_DATA | LYD_OPT_DATA_NO_YANGLIB;
+
+		dnode = lyd_parse_mem(ly_native_ctx, dt->data().c_str(),
+				      encoding2lyd_format(dt->encoding()),
+				      options);
+
+		return dnode;
+	}
+
+	static struct lyd_node *get_dnode_config(const std::string &path)
+	{
+		struct lyd_node *dnode;
+
+		pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&running_config->lock);
+		{
+			dnode = yang_dnode_get(running_config->dnode,
+					       path.empty() ? NULL
+							    : path.c_str());
+			if (dnode)
+				dnode = yang_dnode_dup(dnode);
+		}
+		pthread_rwlock_unlock(&running_config->lock);
+
+		return dnode;
+	}
+
+	static struct lyd_node *get_dnode_state(const std::string &path)
+	{
+		struct lyd_node *dnode;
+
+		dnode = yang_dnode_new(ly_native_ctx, false);
+		if (nb_oper_data_iterate(path.c_str(), NULL, 0,
+					 get_oper_data_cb, dnode)
+		    != NB_OK) {
+			yang_dnode_free(dnode);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+
+		return dnode;
+	}
+
+	static grpc::Status get_path(frr::DataTree *dt, const std::string &path,
+				     int type, LYD_FORMAT lyd_format,
+				     bool with_defaults)
+	{
+		struct lyd_node *dnode_config = NULL;
+		struct lyd_node *dnode_state = NULL;
+		struct lyd_node *dnode_final;
+
+		// Configuration data.
+		if (type == frr::GetRequest_DataType_ALL
+		    || type == frr::GetRequest_DataType_CONFIG) {
+			dnode_config = get_dnode_config(path);
+			if (!dnode_config)
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					"Data path not found");
+		}
+
+		// Operational data.
+		if (type == frr::GetRequest_DataType_ALL
+		    || type == frr::GetRequest_DataType_STATE) {
+			dnode_state = get_dnode_state(path);
+			if (!dnode_state) {
+				if (dnode_config)
+					yang_dnode_free(dnode_config);
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::INVALID_ARGUMENT,
+					"Failed to fetch operational data");
+			}
+		}
+
+		switch (type) {
+		case frr::GetRequest_DataType_ALL:
+			//
+			// Combine configuration and state data into a single
+			// dnode.
+			//
+			if (lyd_merge(dnode_state, dnode_config,
+				      LYD_OPT_EXPLICIT)
+			    != 0) {
+				yang_dnode_free(dnode_state);
+				yang_dnode_free(dnode_config);
+				return grpc::Status(
+					grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+					"Failed to merge configuration and state data");
+			}
+
+			dnode_final = dnode_state;
+			break;
+		case frr::GetRequest_DataType_CONFIG:
+			dnode_final = dnode_config;
+			break;
+		case frr::GetRequest_DataType_STATE:
+			dnode_final = dnode_state;
+			break;
+		}
+
+		// Validate data to create implicit default nodes if necessary.
+		int validate_opts = 0;
+		if (type == frr::GetRequest_DataType_CONFIG)
+			validate_opts = LYD_OPT_CONFIG;
+		else
+			validate_opts = LYD_OPT_DATA | LYD_OPT_DATA_NO_YANGLIB;
+		lyd_validate(&dnode_final, validate_opts, ly_native_ctx);
+
+		// Dump data using the requested format.
+		int ret = data_tree_from_dnode(dt, dnode_final, lyd_format,
+					       with_defaults);
+		yang_dnode_free(dnode_final);
+		if (ret != 0)
+			return grpc::Status(grpc::StatusCode::INTERNAL,
+					    "Failed to dump data");
+
+		return grpc::Status::OK;
+	}
+
+	struct candidate *create_candidate(void)
+	{
+		uint32_t candidate_id = ++_nextCandidateId;
+
+		// Check for overflow.
+		// TODO: implement an algorithm for unique reusable IDs.
+		if (candidate_id == 0)
+			return NULL;
+
+		struct candidate *candidate = &_candidates[candidate_id];
+		candidate->id = candidate_id;
+		pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&running_config->lock);
+		{
+			candidate->config = nb_config_dup(running_config);
+		}
+		pthread_rwlock_unlock(&running_config->lock);
+		candidate->transaction = NULL;
+
+		return candidate;
+	}
+
+	void delete_candidate(struct candidate *candidate)
+	{
+		_candidates.erase(candidate->id);
+		nb_config_free(candidate->config);
+		if (candidate->transaction)
+			nb_candidate_commit_abort(candidate->transaction);
+	}
+
+	struct candidate *get_candidate(uint32_t candidate_id)
+	{
+		struct candidate *candidate;
+
+		if (_candidates.count(candidate_id) == 0)
+			return NULL;
+
+		return &_candidates[candidate_id];
+	}
+};
+
+static void *grpc_pthread_start(void *arg)
+{
+	unsigned long *port = static_cast<unsigned long *>(arg);
+	NorthboundImpl service;
+	std::stringstream server_address;
+
+	server_address << "0.0.0.0:" << *port;
+
+	grpc::ServerBuilder builder;
+	builder.AddListeningPort(server_address.str(),
+				 grpc::InsecureServerCredentials());
+	builder.RegisterService(&service);
+
+	std::unique_ptr<grpc::Server> server(builder.BuildAndStart());
+
+	zlog_notice("gRPC server listening on %s",
+		    server_address.str().c_str());
+
+	server->Wait();
+
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+static int frr_grpc_init(unsigned long *port)
+{
+	/* Create a pthread for gRPC since it runs its own event loop. */
+	if (pthread_create(&grpc_pthread, NULL, grpc_pthread_start, port)) {
+		flog_err(EC_LIB_SYSTEM_CALL, "%s: error creating pthread: %s",
+			 __func__, safe_strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	pthread_detach(grpc_pthread);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int frr_grpc_finish(void)
+{
+	// TODO: cancel the gRPC pthreads gracefully.
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+static int frr_grpc_module_late_init(struct thread_master *tm)
+{
+	static unsigned long port = GRPC_DEFAULT_PORT;
+	const char *args = THIS_MODULE->load_args;
+
+	// Parse port number.
+	if (args) {
+		try {
+			port = std::stoul(args);
+			if (port < 1024)
+				throw std::invalid_argument(
+					"can't use privileged port");
+			if (port > UINT16_MAX)
+				throw std::invalid_argument(
+					"port number is too big");
+		} catch (std::exception &e) {
+			flog_err(EC_LIB_GRPC_INIT,
+				 "%s: failed to parse port number: %s",
+				 __func__, e.what());
+			goto error;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (frr_grpc_init(&port) < 0)
+		goto error;
+
+	hook_register(frr_fini, frr_grpc_finish);
+
+	return 0;
+
+error:
+	flog_err(EC_LIB_GRPC_INIT, "failed to initialize the gRPC module");
+	return -1;
+}
+
+static int frr_grpc_module_init(void)
+{
+	hook_register(frr_late_init, frr_grpc_module_late_init);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+FRR_MODULE_SETUP(.name = "frr_grpc", .version = FRR_VERSION,
+		 .description = "FRR gRPC northbound module",
+		 .init = frr_grpc_module_init, )
diff --git a/lib/subdir.am b/lib/subdir.am
index 3b14be4676..a5ac87b96c 100644
--- a/lib/subdir.am
+++ b/lib/subdir.am
@@ -303,6 +303,18 @@ lib_sysrepo_la_LIBADD = lib/libfrr.la $(SYSREPO_LIBS)
 lib_sysrepo_la_SOURCES = lib/northbound_sysrepo.c
 
 #
+# gRPC northbound plugin
+#
+if GRPC
+module_LTLIBRARIES += lib/grpc.la
+endif
+
+lib_grpc_la_CXXFLAGS = $(WERROR) $(GRPC_CFLAGS)
+lib_grpc_la_LDFLAGS = -avoid-version -module -shared -export-dynamic
+lib_grpc_la_LIBADD = lib/libfrr.la grpc/libfrrgrpc_pb.la $(GRPC_LIBS)
+lib_grpc_la_SOURCES = lib/northbound_grpc.cpp
+
+#
 # CLI utilities
 #
 noinst_PROGRAMS += \
@@ -346,7 +358,7 @@ am__v_CLIPPY_1 =
 
 CLIPPY_DEPS = $(HOSTTOOLS)lib/clippy $(top_srcdir)/python/clidef.py
 
-SUFFIXES = _clippy.c .proto .pb-c.c .pb-c.h .pb.h
+SUFFIXES = _clippy.c .proto .pb-c.c .pb-c.h .pb.h .pb.cc .grpc.pb.cc
 .c_clippy.c:
 	@{ test -x $(top_builddir)/$(HOSTTOOLS)lib/clippy || \
 		$(MAKE) -C $(top_builddir)/$(HOSTTOOLS) lib/clippy; }