Message Format

Definitions

1. The defined structure and encoding of data exchanged between systems, specifying field names, types, ordering, and serialization rules. Common message formats include JSON, Protocol Buffers, MessagePack, Avro, and XML, each trading off human readability, schema enforcement, and binary efficiency.

   In plain English: The agreed-upon structure and encoding for data being sent between systems — like choosing whether to send it as JSON text or compact binary.

   Example: "We switched from JSON to Protobuf as our message format and cut payload size by 60% on the wire."

Related Terms

• JSON API
• Streaming
• API Design
• API Framework
• API Pagination
• API Specification
• API Wrapper
• Audio API
• Binary Format
• Byte Order
• Chat Protocol
• Custom Serializer