SPI and I2C are common communication protocols used to connect devices in embedded systems. SPI uses a master-slave configuration with four lines - clock, MOSI, MISO, and chip select - to enable full-duplex communication between a single master and multiple slaves. I2C also uses a master-slave model but supports multiple devices on the same bus, each with a unique address, making it suitable when multiple devices need to share a bus. The choice between SPI and I2C depends on factors like data rate needs, number of devices, and application requirements.