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

Protocol Buffers
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Protocol Buffers

  -  3.4 MB  -  Freeware
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  • Latest Version

    Protocol Buffers 36.0 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-36.0-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:

Announcements:
- Protobuf News may include additional announcements or pre-announcements for upcoming changes
- Migration Guide may include additional guidance for breaking changes

Bazel:
- Add Bazel9 test
- Bazel 9 tests for csharp, hpb, objc, php, python, rust and upb

Compiler:
- Make default_symbol_visibility STRICT in edition 2026
- Add deprecation warnings for
- Disallow reserving field number INT_MAX.
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- Feat: --<lang>_prefix cli option
- Enforce proto limits in the descriptor by default for EDITION_2026.
- Fix: Apply path traversal guard to WriteAllToZip() matching WriteAllToDisk()
- Add an enforce_proto_limits feature which will be implemented in Edition 2026.

C++:
- Disable option sub-location mapping in open-source builds.
- Add json_options.proto and json_enumvalue_options.proto and/or gencode derived from them to release artifacts
- Add deprecation warning for Reflection::GetEnum() and Reflection::GetRepeatedEnum().
- Migrate top-level protobuf unittest protos from Edition 2024 to Edition 2026.
- Util: validate Duration/Timestamp in TimeUtil::FromString against spec limits
- Make default_symbol_visibility STRICT in edition 2026
- Use the direct map reflection API when converting message to JSON, if the repeated field reflection is not valid.
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- Fix(cpp): stop TextFormat iteration if output stream fails
- Enforce proto limits in the descriptor by default for EDITION_2026.
- Add an enforce_proto_limits feature which will be implemented in Edition 2026.
- Workaround for attribute handling bug in gcc < 13
- Fix confusing error message for map value type name conflicts
- C++Proto JSON: Align behavior on the type.proto path with the descriptor.proto path

Java:
- Add json_options.proto and json_enumvalue_options.proto and/or gencode derived from them to release artifacts
- Json/java: add json_name enumval support
- Make Timestamps.parse() attempt non-lenient parsing first and warning if this fails.
- Add a warning for potential OneofDescriptor collisions prior to Q1 2027 breaking changes.
- Make default_symbol_visibility STRICT in edition 2026
- Reject negative size in mergeDelimitedFrom
- Add deprecation warnings for -(py|cc|java)_generic_service.
- Update Java protobuf generator to use Objects.requireNonNull
- Use natural String comparison instead of UTF-8 ByteString comparison for sorting map keys in JsonFormat.
- Add option to enable strict JSON parsing in Protobuf Java JsonFormat.
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- Remove experimental FieldOrder enum.
- Optimize GeneratedMessage.ExtendableBuilder to avoid temporary allocations when merging empty extendable messages.
- Stop using sun.misc.Unsafe in isValidUtf8 paths.
- Use String#encodedLength on JDK versions that support it
- Add an enforce_proto_limits feature which will be implemented in Edition 2026.
- Java: limit numeric string length before BigDecimal parsing
- Validate java package and class against injection risks.

Csharp:
- Cache custom JSON enum names in JsonParser using Lazy
- Csharp: add support for custom json strings for enum values
- Validate language-specific namespace options in code generators
- Make default_symbol_visibility STRICT in edition 2026
- Advertise that C# supports Edition 2026, and move C# Nullable Reference Type support into that edition.
- First implementation of C# nullable reference types enablement using the current
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- Csharp: propagate recursion depth into JsonReplayTokenizer to honor Any nesting limit
- Fix csharp string interpolation in Timestamp.ToDateTime() exception message

Objective-C:
- [ObjC] Carry recursion depth across MessageSet item parsing
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- [ObjC] Add DEBUG-only validations to extension values in GPBMessage, along with tests.

Rust:
- Re-export to google-protobuf crate in 0.x.y for 36.0 and above
- Remove -release suffix from Rust Crates.io release if minor version >= 36
- Add bazel targets for standalone plugin binaries
- RustProto: Add the ability to iterate over the muts of a repeated message-typed field

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