Open-source cross-platform data format used to serialize structured data

Protocol Buffers
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Protocol Buffers

  -  3.3 MB  -  Freeware
Free Download

Security Status

  • Latest Version

    Protocol Buffers 33.0 LATEST

  • Review by

    Daniel Leblanc

  • Operating System

    Windows 10 (64-bit) / Windows 11

  • User Rating

    Click to vote

  • Author / Product

    Google / External Link

  • Filename

    protoc-33.0-win64.zip

Protocol Buffers is an advanced programming utility developed by Google Inc that allows seasoned developers to reorganize the way they are serializing structured data.

Built from the ground up to recreate the functionality of XML in a smaller, faster, and simpler way, Protocol Buffers (also known as protobuf) has managed to prove itself as a platform-neutral, language-neutral, and highly modular programming mechanism that can process structured data in new and enticing ways.

With it, software developers are empowered to precisely define the way their data will be structured, create custom code with help of an automated code generation tool, and take full control over the ways data streams are written and read.

And the best thing yet, It can be managed with a wide array of programming languages, with direct support for code generation in Java, Python, Objective-C, and C++, and with extended support for Kotlin, Dart, Go, Ruby, and C# via the usage of proto3 language. Even more programming languages is slated to be added via future updates.

Programmers who are used to XML will find this new serializing structured data protocol easy to learn and integrate into their daily workflow. Google Protocol Buffers is notable for being smaller, faster, and simpler to use than XML, enabling enthusiasts to quickly set up their projects best fit their needs.

However, it should be noted that XML still supports more options and is therefore more versatile in projects that demand features that are not covered by this new Google solution.

For example, XML can help programmers interleave structure with text, helping them to model a text-based document with markup. Today, Google uses Protocol Buffers in almost all of their internal RPC protocol communication and file formats.

Protocol Buffers is perfect for enabling procedures that can read the structure from a wide variety of data streams (both writing and reading) and update those streams in real-time. This is especially important if the source data streams are generated by programs that can’t be easily updated to support new features that users want to infuse into the data stream they generate.

Protocol Buffers is distributed online as a compressed ZIP archive, requiring users to manually download, extract and use the console command style app on any modern PC.

How to Use
  • Set Up Environment Variables – Add the Protobuf compiler (protoc) to your system's PATH for easy access.
  • Define .proto Files – Create a .proto file to define message structures and services.
  • Compile .proto Files – Use the protoc command to generate language-specific source code (e.g., protoc --cpp_out=. example.proto).
  • Integrate with Code – Include the generated code in your application and use it to serialize/deserialize messages.
  • Use Protobuf Libraries – Install and use Protobuf libraries for your chosen programming language (e.g., protobuf for Python, com.google.protobuf for Java).
  • Serialize Data – Convert structured data into Protobuf binary format for efficient storage and transmission.
  • Deserialize Data – Read and decode Protobuf messages into human-readable or usable data structures.
  • Test with Protobuf Tools – Use tools like protoc --decode to manually test encoding and decoding.
  • Update .proto Files Carefully – Maintain backward compatibility by following Protobuf best practices when modifying message definitions.
PROS
  • Provides a fast and efficient way to serialize structured data
  • Supports multiple programming languages and platforms
  • Offers automatic code generation and versioning for compatibility
  • Allows for easy integration with other systems and applications
  • Offers backwards compatibility, enabling older clients to communicate with newer servers
CONS
  • May have a steeper learning curve for beginners due to its complexity
  • Requires manual compilation of code and installation of protobuf libraries
  • May require additional work for custom encoding and decoding of data


Download Protocol Buffers Latest Version
Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)

What's new in this version:

Bazel:
- Feat: update bazel central registry publish workflow
- Add target_compatible_with parameter to proto_toolchain in Bazel rules
- Bazel: add missing rules_cc loads

Compiler:
- Disable symbol visibility enforcement by default in C++ runtime
- Ship all option dependencies to plugins along with regular ones

C++:
- Avoid calling deprecated arena-enabled constructors in arena.h
- Add a macro to make RepeatedField(Arena*) constructor private in a future release
- Add a macro to make Map(Arena*) constructor private in a future release
- Optimize ReadPackedVarint
- Add a macro to make RepeatedPtrField(Arena*) constructor private in a future release
- Add IsEmpty() function to reflection
- Refactor RuntimeAssertInBounds to remove repeated logic and make Get/Mutable easier to read
- Disable symbol visibility enforcement by default in C++ runtime
- Fix a bug in the main C++ JSON parser/serializer camelcasing of certain non-style-compliant names incorrectly, in a way that would prevent it from interoperating with any other implementation on those fields
- Fail early for messages with more than 65k fields
- Add option to C++ JSON Parser/Serializer to allow customers to affirmatively disable legacy bug-compatibilty behaviors
- Fix mishandling on JSON serialization of Timestamp with invalid negative and too-large nanos value
- Preserve features in type resolver
- Add a DCHECK that ArenaStringPtr::Set(char*, Arena*) is not called with

Java:
- Switch the pre22 warning to use CopyOnWriteArraySet.
- Expose helpers for checking if messages and enums are nested
- Fix a bug calculating the file name in the absense of directories
- Clarify the public APIs of GeneratorNames helpers
- Expose helpers to predict generated class names in java
- Deprecate ClassName methods in favor of new QualifiedClassName ones
- Restore the 3-argument internalBuildGeneratedFileFrom
- Fix large java enums not being honored on lite runtime
- Slightly relax Java Poison Pill on prerelease versions
- Avoid boxing/unboxing varint, fixed32, and fixed64 fields in UnknownFieldSet.Field
- Readd new*List() methods on GeneratedMessageV3
- Add Values.of(Map<String, Value> values)
- Fix handling of optional dependencies in java generator
- Restore ABI compatibility for extension methods which was previously
- Restore Protobuf Java extension modifiers in gencode that were previously removed in 7bff169
- Ship all option dependencies to plugins along with regular ones
- Optimize redaction state calculation
- Add isPlaceholder() accessors to file, message, and enum descriptors
- Improve Java gencode static initialization to avoid unnecessary temporaries again
- Improve Java gencode static initialization to avoid unnecessary temporaries
- Remove protobuf-util usages of guava except annotations
- Restore compatibility of runtime with pre-3.22.x gencode impacted by CVE-2022-3171
- Expose an iterator for GeneratedMessage.ExtendableMessage.extensions

Rust:
- Change Rust prelude to bring in traits as _
- Make message Muts Send
- See also UPB changes below, which may affect Rust.

Python:
- Publish s390x wheels for Python/upb
- Fix a crash that happens during shutdown due to looking up modules in the cache
- Add construction support for repeated Timestamp/Duration/Struct/ListValue
- Fix handling of repeated extension fields in PyProto JSON
- Fixed a parser bug where closed enums are parsed incorrectly for non-repeated extensions
- Fixed mypy errors by setting __slots__ to empty in .pyi files
- Raise warnings for float_precision from python json_format
- Raise warnings when assign bool to int/enum field in Python Proto. This will turn into error in 34.0 release

PHP:
- Fix(php): php errors on repeated field

UPB (Python/PHP/Ruby C-Extension):
- Fixed a parser bug where closed enums are parsed incorrectly for non-repeated extensions.

Other:
- Update token for BCR release to reuse existing BOT_ACCESS_TOKEN used for staleness_refresh.yml and update_php_repo.yml
- Use the 'better' JSON parser on the conformance suite harness
- Add JSON conformance test that a single value provided for a repeated field should parse fail

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