---
title: gRPC Message Size
---

Large event batches or queries that return many events can exceed gRPC message limits. Chronicle provides configuration options to adjust the maximum send and receive message sizes.

## Default Settings

By default, Chronicle sets both `MaxReceiveMessageSize` and `MaxSendMessageSize` to 100 MB (104,857,600 bytes). This is higher than the gRPC default of 4 MB and is suitable for most scenarios involving large event collections.

## Configuring Message Sizes

You can configure the message sizes when creating a `ChronicleClient` or through options:

```csharp
var options = new ChronicleOptions
{
    ConnectionString = "chronicle://localhost:35000",
    MaxReceiveMessageSize = 200 * 1024 * 1024, // 200 MB
    MaxSendMessageSize = 200 * 1024 * 1024      // 200 MB
};

var client = new ChronicleClient(options);
```

## Configuration via appsettings.json

For ASP.NET Core applications, configure message sizes under the `Cratis:Chronicle` section of `appsettings.json`:

```json
{
  "Cratis": {
    "Chronicle": {
      "ConnectionString": "chronicle://localhost:35000",
      "MaxReceiveMessageSize": 209715200,
      "MaxSendMessageSize": 209715200
    }
  }
}
```

## Configuration via Environment Variables

Message sizes can also be set using environment variables. .NET maps the `__` separator onto nested configuration keys:

```bash
Cratis__Chronicle__MaxReceiveMessageSize=209715200
Cratis__Chronicle__MaxSendMessageSize=209715200
```

## Understanding the Error

If you encounter an error like:

```env
Status(StatusCode="ResourceExhausted", Detail="Received message exceeds the maximum configured message size.")
```

This indicates that the response from the server exceeds `MaxReceiveMessageSize`. Increase this value to accommodate larger responses.

## Recommendations

- **Default (100 MB)**: Suitable for most applications with moderate event batch sizes
- **200+ MB**: Consider for applications that frequently query large event ranges or work with many events
- **Performance considerations**: Larger message sizes consume more memory. Balance your needs with available resources
- **Server configuration**: Ensure the Chronicle Server is also configured to handle the message sizes you need

## Null Values

Setting either property to `null` will use the gRPC default (4 MB), which is generally not recommended for Chronicle applications:

```csharp
var options = new ChronicleOptions
{
    MaxReceiveMessageSize = null, // Uses gRPC default of 4 MB - not recommended
    MaxSendMessageSize = null     // Uses gRPC default of 4 MB - not recommended
};
```