Protocol buffers are a flexible, efficient, and automated mechanism for serializing structured data that is simpler, faster, smaller and generates access classes compared to XML and JSON. It works by defining message types in .proto files that can then be compiled to generate data access classes in various languages like Java, C++, Python and more. Many large companies like Google, Twitter and Oracle use protocol buffers for internal APIs, queue systems and database objects due to its performance advantages over other data formats.

1. Protocol buffers
https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers
By Manuel Correa

2. What are protocol buffers?
● Flexible, efficient, and automated mechanism for
Serializing data
● Over XML and JSON, Proto-Buffer is
o Binary
o Simpler
o Faster
o Smaller (space)
o Generates access classes as part of the framework

3. How does it work?
.proto file

4. What languages translate to?
● Java, C++, C, Ruby, Python, C#, Clojure, Lisp, Dart,
Erlang, Go, Android, Javascript, Matlab, Perl, Objective
C, PHP, Scala, VB, Julia, Lua, and …
● Applications
o Internal APIs
o Queue systems
o Database Objects

5. Quick dirty Space performance

6. Who is using it? source: documentation, slideshare, etc..
● Google
● Twitter
● Oracle
● ...

7. Reference
● Google Developer Guide
● JavaOne presentation: RESTFul Protocol
buffers
● Hadoop and Protocol Buffers at Twitter