CODEWITHSUNDEEP
protocol-buffersprotobuf-net
znarF
znarF

Reputation: 13

Is it possible to parse non-protobuf messages using protobuf?

I am working on a project where we are using protocol buffers to create and parse some of our messages (protobuf-net). This is so elegant, that I would like to use this same deserialization method to parse other messages emanating from external non-protobuf generated sources. Is this possible?

I would imagine that it could be possible to specify all of the .proto fields to be fixed size (i.e. not like variable ints). The question is then whether you could replace the protobuf headers with other magic numbers or whichever header the 3rd party protocol uses.

If this is a bit confusing, an example may shed some light: Let's say you buy a fancy toaster that exposes an ethernet port. It supports a proprietary but well documented protocol. Can you burn heart shaped patterns on your toast using protobuf?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 468

Answers (1)

Marc Gravell
Marc Gravell

Reputation: 1064204

At the moment, no: the library is tied to the protobuf wire specification; it does not have support for non-protobuf data.

In a way, it is a bit like asking: "can XmlSerializer read/write json?". It isn't something that is on my list of things to look at, to be honest.

Upvotes: 1

Related Questions