protocolbuffers/upb
Freea small protobuf implementation in C
FreeFree tier
About protocolbuffers/upb
upb (μpb) is a small, fast C library for implementing the Protocol Buffers wire format. Designed for resource-constrained environments, it offers efficient serialization and deserialization with minimal overhead. As of August 2023, upb has been integrated into the official Protocol Buffers repository and this standalone repository is archived and read-only.
Key Features
Small memory footprint
Fast serialization and deserialization
Pure C implementation with minimal dependencies
Compatible with Protocol Buffers wire format
Migrated to main protobuf repository (read-only archive)
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight and minimal overhead
- High performance for serialization/deserialization
- Open source with permissive license
- Seamless integration with protobuf ecosystem
Cons
- Archived and no longer maintained as a separate project
- Limited to C; no native C++ or other language bindings
- May lack some advanced features of full protobuf implementations
Best For
Embedded systems and IoT devicesResource-constrained environmentsC-based projects requiring protobuf supportLightweight serialization for latency-sensitive applications
FAQ
Is upb still maintained?
As of August 25, 2023, upb has been moved into the main protobuf repository and this standalone repository is no longer updated. All further development happens in the protobuf repo.