RProtoBuf: Efficient Cross-Language Data Serialization in R

Understand

Modern data collection and analysis pipelines often involve a sophisticated mix of applications written in general purpose and specialized programming languages.

• Many formats commonly used to import and export data between different programs or systems, such as CSV or JSON, are verbose, inefficient, not type-safe, or tied to a specific programming language.
• Protocol Buffers are a popular method of serializing structured data between applications - while remaining independent of programming languages or operating systems.
• They offer a unique combination of features, performance, and maturity that seems particularly well suited for data-driven applications and numerical computing.