# stepancheg/rust-protobuf

Rust implementation of Google protocol buffers

Repository: https://github.com/stepancheg/rust-protobuf
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/rust-protobuf
Language: Rust
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: rust, protobuf, serialization
Last push: 2025-09-21T22:00:37+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 52/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 43, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4784, "days_push": 346, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2973, forks 398 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:32.884765+00:00)

## What it is
A pure-Rust implementation of Google Protocol Buffers, including a code generator and runtime library supporting proto2 and proto3. Version 3 adds runtime reflection, JSON/text format support, and dynamic messages built from .proto files.

## Use cases
- serialize and deserialize protobuf messages in Rust
- generate Rust code from .proto files
- parse and print protobuf messages as JSON or text
- create dynamic messages from .proto files without codegen
- exchange data with gRPC or protobuf-based services

## When to choose
- you need a pure-Rust protobuf stack without C dependencies
- you need runtime reflection or dynamic messages
- you're maintaining an existing project already built on this crate

## When to avoid
- starting a new project — the official Google protobuf Rust implementation is coming as protobuf=4
- you want an actively developed alternative like prost
- you need gRPC support out of the box

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: maintenance
- function: serialization, parser
- domain: developer-tools, apis, backend
- platform: rust, cross-platform
- tags: protobuf, code-generation, protocol-buffers, grpc-support

## Member repositories
- stepancheg/rust-protobuf (main) score 52

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.884765+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 2026-08-30T07:31:37.433292+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/stepancheg/rust-protobuf (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:32.884765+00:00, sha 620078337b73)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.