API Development
Pick API data formats: JSON for public APIs, Protobuf for internal services, TOON for LLM-facing payloads. Size, speed and compatibility compared.
Overview
Modern APIs need to balance performance, readability, and compatibility. Choosing the right data format affects response sizes, parsing speed, and client compatibility. For public APIs, JSON remains standard. For internal microservices, formats like Protobuf offer significant performance gains.
Key Benefits
- ✓Smaller response payloads
- ✓Faster serialization/deserialization
- ✓Better client compatibility
- ✓Schema evolution support
Best Formats
Popular Tools
REST APIsGraphQLgRPCNext.js API routes
Example Scenario
"Building a high-traffic API serving 10,000 requests/minute. Using Protobuf reduces payload size by 60% compared to JSON."
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