# protobuf-net/protobuf-net

Protocol Buffers library for idiomatic .NET

Repository: https://github.com/protobuf-net/protobuf-net
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/protobuf-net
Homepage: https://docs.protobuf-net.dev/
Language: C#
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Last push: 2026-08-26T18:17:24+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4461, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 8, "gap_med": 4.5, "n_releases_24m": 11}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4968, forks 1090 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:04.010863+00:00)

## What it is
protobuf-net is a contract-based serializer for .NET that writes data in Google's Protocol Buffers wire format using idiomatic .NET patterns like attributes. It supports a code-first approach, build-time serializer generation for native AOT and trimming, and integrates with protobuf-net.Grpc for code-first gRPC.

## Use cases
- serialize .NET objects to protobuf binary format
- add protobuf serialization to existing C# classes with attributes
- generate C# or VB types from .proto schema files
- decode raw protobuf payloads without a schema
- use code-first gRPC services in .NET
- enable native AOT and trimming with compile-time serializers

## When to choose
- you want protobuf serialization with idiomatic .NET APIs instead of Google's schema-first tooling
- you need to serialize pre-existing .NET types without rewriting them
- you need native AOT or trimming support with build-time serializer generation
- you want a code-first gRPC experience similar to WCF

## When to avoid
- you need strict schema-first protobuf workflows shared across many languages
- you are not working on a .NET platform
- you need Google's official protobuf runtime features or conformance guarantees

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: serialization
- domain: developer-tools, backend, apis
- platform: dotnet, cross-platform
- tags: protocol-buffers, protobuf, code-first, grpc, c-sharp, binary-serialization, aot

## Member repositories
- protobuf-net/protobuf-net (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:04.010863+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:17:46.093235+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/protobuf-net/protobuf-net (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:04.010863+00:00, sha 7dbc98b3843e)
  - homepage: https://docs.protobuf-net.dev/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:59:00.204413+00:00, sha 98165618abdc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.