TONL to Protobuf Converter
Input TONL
or drop a file anywhere
Output Protobuf
Your Protobuf appears here as you type.
Paste data to see token savings
Convert TONL to Protobuf with our free online converter.
Example: TONL input and real Protobuf output
The output below was generated by the same conversion code the converter uses, run on this sample when the page was built.
#version 1.0
root:
events[4]{latencyMs,level,service,ts}:
42,info,auth,"2026-09-30T08:12:04Z"
310,warn,billing,"2026-09-30T08:12:09Z"
38,info,auth,"2026-09-30T08:12:15Z"
1204,error,search,"2026-09-30T08:12:21Z"events {
latencyMs: 42
level: "info"
service: "auth"
ts: "2026-09-30T08:12:04Z"
}
events {
latencyMs: 310
level: "warn"
service: "billing"
ts: "2026-09-30T08:12:09Z"
}
events {
latencyMs: 38
level: "info"
service: "auth"
ts: "2026-09-30T08:12:15Z"
}
events {
latencyMs: 1204
level: "error"
service: "search"
ts: "2026-09-30T08:12:21Z"
}Protobuf output is 61% larger than the TONL input. The same data is 329 characters as minified JSON and 505 as pretty-printed JSON. Sizes are character counts, not tokens: token counts depend on the model's tokenizer (see the tokenizer comparison).
TONL to Protobuf: what changes
- Reading TONL: TONL documents start with a #version line and wrap the data in root. The TONL encoder writes object keys in alphabetical order, so the original key order is not kept.
- Writing Protobuf: Output is Protobuf text format: arrays become repeated fields and nested objects become message blocks. To encode binary Protobuf you still need a .proto schema with matching field names and types, and keys like @_id or opt-level are not valid field names.
About TONL
TONL (Token-Optimized Notation Language) is a compact text format that maps one-to-one to JSON and ships with a query API, schema validation, and streaming. Savings are roughly 32-45% versus JSON in the TONL project's own measurements.
- ✓Lossless round trip to JSON
- ✓Query and aggregation API
- ✓Schema validation (TSL)
- ✓Streaming for large files
About Protobuf
Protocol Buffers is a binary serialization format from Google. Extremely compact and fast, but requires a schema definition.
- ✓Very compact
- ✓Fast serialization
- ✓Schema evolution
- ✓Type-safe
Why Convert TONL to Protobuf?
Use Protobuf for high-performance internal APIs, microservices communication, or when you need maximum efficiency and have defined schemas.
TONL to Protobuf: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert TONL to Protobuf?
Paste your TONL into the editor on json2toon.co. The tool detects the input and produces Protobuf instantly, then you copy the result. Conversion runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded to a server.
Is the TONL to Protobuf converter free?
Yes. Converting TONL to Protobuf on json2toon.co is free with no account, signup, or usage limit. A free public API is also available for automated, programmatic conversion.
Why convert TONL to Protobuf?
Convert TONL to Protobuf with our free online converter.
What should I watch out for when converting TONL to Protobuf?
Output is Protobuf text format: arrays become repeated fields and nested objects become message blocks. To encode binary Protobuf you still need a .proto schema with matching field names and types, and keys like @_id or opt-level are not valid field names.
Is my data safe when I convert TONL to Protobuf?
Yes. The TONL to Protobuf conversion happens client-side in your browser. Your source data stays on your device and is never sent to or stored on a server, which makes it safe for private or sensitive payloads.