diff --git a/.cspell.json b/.cspell.json
index b45f60df1f..1aecf659be 100644
--- a/.cspell.json
+++ b/.cspell.json
@@ -38,12 +38,14 @@
         "clsx",
         "commenceack",
         "configtx",
+        "connectrpc",
         "Corda",
         "Cordapp",
         "couchdb",
         "COUCHDBADDRESS",
         "COUCHDBCONFIG",
         "Creds",
+        "Crpc",
         "data",
         "davecgh",
         "dclm",
@@ -59,6 +61,7 @@
         "escc",
         "execa",
         "faio",
+        "fastify",
         "fidm",
         "flowdb",
         "fsouza",
diff --git a/packages/cactus-core-api/package.json b/packages/cactus-core-api/package.json
index c77d7a3bd9..90733979d1 100644
--- a/packages/cactus-core-api/package.json
+++ b/packages/cactus-core-api/package.json
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@
     "axios": "1.6.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@bufbuild/protobuf": "1.8.0",
+    "@connectrpc/connect": "1.4.0",
     "@grpc/grpc-js": "1.10.3",
     "@grpc/proto-loader": "0.7.8",
     "@types/express": "4.17.19",
diff --git a/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service.ts b/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fea7c5c8fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import type { ServiceType } from "@bufbuild/protobuf";
+import type { ServiceImpl } from "@connectrpc/connect";
+import type { UniversalHandlerOptions } from "@connectrpc/connect/protocol";
+
+/**
+ * Implementers of this interface are responsible for providing a Crpc service
+ * that can be dynamically registered at runtime by the API server.
+ *
+ * It describes what methods a class (plugin) needs to implement
+ * in order to be able to operate as a Cacti Crpc service (e.g. expose its
+ * functionality through Crpc not just HTTP or SocketIO)
+ *
+ * @see {IPluginWebService}
+ * @see {IPluginGrpcService}
+ * @see {ApiServer}
+ */
+export interface IPluginCrpcService {
+  /**
+   * Used by the API server and/or automated test cases when hooking up this
+   * plugin instance into a crpc Server object.
+   *
+   * The returned pair of service
+   * definition and implementation objects are passed in to the `.addService()`
+   * method of the `Server` object of the `@connectrpc/connect` library.
+   *
+   * @see {ServiceDefinition}
+   * @see {ServiceType}
+   * @see {ICrpcSvcRegistration}
+   */
+  createCrpcSvcRegistrations(
+    opts: unknown,
+  ): Promise<Array<ICrpcSvcRegistration<ServiceType>>>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * A wrapper object that contains both the the definition and the implementation
+ * objects of a crpc service that a plugin can implement to expose it's functionality
+ * over crpc.
+ *
+ * @see {IPluginGrpcService}
+ * @see {IGrpcSvcDefAndImplPair}
+ */
+export interface ICrpcSvcRegistration<T extends ServiceType> {
+  readonly definition: T;
+  readonly implementation: Partial<ServiceImpl<T>>;
+  readonly serviceName: string;
+  readonly options?: Partial<UniversalHandlerOptions>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Custom (user-defined) Typescript type-guard that verifies at runtime whether
+ * `x` is an implementation of {IPluginCrpcService} or not.
+ *
+ * @param x Literally any object or value that you'd want to verify for having
+ * the right method(s) implemented in-order to qualify as an implementer of the
+ * {IPluginCrpcService} interface.
+ *
+ * The {ApiServer} uses this to filter the total list of plugins down to the ones
+ * that have crpc services of their own and then hook those up at runtime.
+ *
+ * @returns `true` if `x` does implement {IPluginCrpcService} `false` otherwise.
+ */
+export function isIPluginCrpcService(x: unknown): x is IPluginCrpcService {
+  return (
+    !!x &&
+    typeof (x as IPluginCrpcService).createCrpcSvcRegistrations === "function"
+  );
+}
diff --git a/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/public-api.ts b/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/public-api.ts
index 97ad96a597..7221bf1a6c 100755
--- a/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/public-api.ts
+++ b/packages/cactus-core-api/src/main/typescript/public-api.ts
@@ -48,3 +48,7 @@ export { ISendRequestResultV1 } from "./plugin/ledger-connector/i-send-request-r
 export { IPluginGrpcService } from "./plugin/grpc-service/i-plugin-grpc-service";
 export { IGrpcSvcDefAndImplPair } from "./plugin/grpc-service/i-plugin-grpc-service";
 export { isIPluginGrpcService } from "./plugin/grpc-service/i-plugin-grpc-service";
+
+export { ICrpcSvcRegistration } from "./plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service";
+export { IPluginCrpcService } from "./plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service";
+export { isIPluginCrpcService } from "./plugin/crpc-service/i-plugin-crpc-service";
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index f239e4ea79..ce4116c7b0 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -4341,6 +4341,13 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"@bufbuild/protobuf@npm:1.8.0":
+  version: 1.8.0
+  resolution: "@bufbuild/protobuf@npm:1.8.0"
+  checksum: 10/f91d60ff1609c023466500e99312d2e92ac09c163d615c315fa25d9e50f1e9b76a3a9cac776786a3dd5c5065bb7061bf29388587e2a1d27306f68ed98e57a892
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "@chainsafe/as-sha256@npm:^0.3.1":
   version: 0.3.1
   resolution: "@chainsafe/as-sha256@npm:0.3.1"
@@ -4607,6 +4614,15 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"@connectrpc/connect@npm:1.4.0":
+  version: 1.4.0
+  resolution: "@connectrpc/connect@npm:1.4.0"
+  peerDependencies:
+    "@bufbuild/protobuf": ^1.4.2
+  checksum: 10/5e84fbba544f7e52533bdd0058caaa6d5c89903f522fbd9551c6bad0cd2fea2d3f14c7396696609d1787a5e2018054dd53db40b2d08c55975ff81334074eeeae
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "@cspell/cspell-bundled-dicts@npm:^5.21.2":
   version: 5.21.2
   resolution: "@cspell/cspell-bundled-dicts@npm:5.21.2"
@@ -7672,6 +7688,8 @@ __metadata:
   version: 0.0.0-use.local
   resolution: "@hyperledger/cactus-core-api@workspace:packages/cactus-core-api"
   dependencies:
+    "@bufbuild/protobuf": "npm:1.8.0"
+    "@connectrpc/connect": "npm:1.4.0"
     "@grpc/grpc-js": "npm:1.10.3"
     "@grpc/proto-loader": "npm:0.7.8"
     "@hyperledger/cactus-common": "npm:2.0.0-alpha.2"