What does the Bitcoin RPC mean and how is it used?

Question

What does Bitcoin RPC mean and how is it used? I see the term RPC referenced multiple times, but not show what it means and how its used. I see it in JSON-RPC. I know json is just a data format, meaning it looks something like this: { apple: red, banana: yellow }

Answer 1

RPC = Remote Procedure Calls. That describes a system when you send a command to a remote system where it's processed and results are returned.

Bitcoin RPC is synonymous with JSON-RPC in my opinion, although JSON-RPC itself is not Bitcoin-specific. JSON-RPC simply implies that the RPC interaction will use JSON as its data structure.

Bitcoin RPC is used by authenticated clients to connect to a running instance of bitcoind. The clients issue commands to send transactions, get status, and a variety of other purposes.

The Bitcoin RPC commands are on the wiki.