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Kateryna
Kateryna

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Protobuf vs Avro for Kafka, what to choose?

Hey there!👋 Recently I had a few quite insightful evenings comparing possible options for the Kafka messaging format, so I gathered some useful articles for you.

  1. Data Serialization: Avro vs Protobuf
    Awesome comparison of Protobuf and Avro. Well structured, and detailed where it's needed. This article summarizes traits, pros and cons, and leaves you with a basic understanding of when and where to use these formats.

  2. What you can do with Protobuf and can't with Avro? and vice versa
    Fabulous article with a detailed overview of how serialization works with Protobuf, Avro and JSON Schema. With real-life code samples and connectivity with schema registry samples.

  3. Arvo and Protobuf performance compared
    Quite a good example if you are a fan of "example with real numbers". This article shows the serialization of both types in action. Definitely worth reading.

  4. Kafka Schema evolution
    If your schema changes often and you wanna a format that will simplify this process as much as possible, this article will save you time and energy.

P.s my personal preference -- Protobuf (100%), however, the reading was fun

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