186 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
186 lines
6.3 KiB
Markdown
# Protocol Buffers - Google's data interchange format
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Copyright 2008 Google Inc.
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https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/
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## Use Java Protocol Buffers
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To use protobuf in Java, first obtain the protocol compiler (a.k.a., protoc,
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see instructions in the toplevel [README.md](../README.md)) and use it to
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generate Java code for your .proto files:
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$ protoc --java_out=${OUTPUT_DIR} path/to/your/proto/file
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Include the generated Java files in your project and add a dependency on the
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protobuf Java runtime.
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### Maven
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If you are using Maven, use the following:
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```xml
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<dependency>
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<groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
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<artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
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<version>3.20.3</version>
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</dependency>
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```
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Make sure the version number of the runtime matches (or is newer than) the
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version number of the protoc.
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If you want to use features like protobuf JsonFormat, add a dependency on the
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protobuf-java-util package:
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```xml
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<dependency>
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<groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
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<artifactId>protobuf-java-util</artifactId>
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<version>3.20.3</version>
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</dependency>
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```
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### Gradle
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If you are using Gradle, add the following to your `build.gradle` file's dependencies:
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```
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implementation 'com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java:3.20.3'
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```
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Again, be sure to check that the version number matches (or is newer than) the version number of protoc that you are using.
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### Use Java Protocol Buffers on Android
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For Android users, it's recommended to use protobuf Java Lite runtime because
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of its smaller code size. Java Lite runtime also works better with Proguard
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because it doesn't rely on Java reflection and is optimized to allow as much
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code stripping as possible. You can following these [instructions to use Java
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Lite runtime](lite.md).
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### Use Java Protocol Buffers with Bazel
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Bazel has native build rules to work with protobuf. For Java, you can use the
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`java_proto_library` rule for server and the `java_lite_proto_library` rule
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for Android. Check out [our build files examples](../examples/BUILD) to learn
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how to use them.
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## Build from Source
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Most users should follow the instructions above to use protobuf Java runtime.
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If you are contributing code to protobuf or want to use a protobuf version
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that hasn't been officially released yet, you can follow the instructions
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below to build protobuf from source code.
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### Build from Source - With Maven
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1) Install Apache Maven if you don't have it:
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http://maven.apache.org/
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2) Build the C++ code, or obtain a binary distribution of protoc (see
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the toplevel [README.md](../README.md)). If you install a binary
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distribution, make sure that it is the same version as this package.
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If in doubt, run:
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$ protoc --version
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You will need to place the protoc executable in ../src. (If you
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built it yourself, it should already be there.)
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3) Run the tests:
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$ mvn test
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If some tests fail, this library may not work correctly on your
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system. Continue at your own risk.
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4) Install the library into your Maven repository:
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$ mvn install
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5) If you do not use Maven to manage your own build, you can build a
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.jar file to use:
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$ mvn package
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The .jar will be placed in the "target" directory.
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The above instructions will install 2 maven artifacts:
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* protobuf-java: The core Java Protocol Buffers library. Most users only
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need this artifact.
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* protobuf-java-util: Utilities to work with protos. It contains JSON support
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as well as utilities to work with proto3 well-known
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types.
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### Build from Source - Without Maven
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If you would rather not install Maven to build the library, you may
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follow these instructions instead. Note that these instructions skip
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running unit tests and only describes how to install the core protobuf
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library (without the util package).
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1) Build the C++ code, or obtain a binary distribution of protoc. If
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you install a binary distribution, make sure that it is the same
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version as this package. If in doubt, run:
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$ protoc --version
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If you built the C++ code without installing, the compiler binary
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should be located in ../src.
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2) Invoke protoc to build DescriptorProtos.java:
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$ protoc --java_out=core/src/main/java -I../src \
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../src/google/protobuf/descriptor.proto
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3) Compile the code in core/src/main/java using whatever means you prefer.
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4) Install the classes wherever you prefer.
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## Compatibility Notice
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* Protobuf minor version releases are backwards-compatible. If your code
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can build/run against the old version, it's expected to build/run against
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the new version as well. Both binary compatibility and source compatibility
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are guaranteed for minor version releases if the user follows the guideline
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described in this section.
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* Protobuf major version releases may also be backwards-compatible with the
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last release of the previous major version. See the release notice for more
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details.
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* APIs marked with the @ExperimentalApi annotation are subject to change. They
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can be modified in any way, or even removed, at any time. Don't use them if
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compatibility is needed. If your code is a library itself (i.e. it is used on
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the CLASSPATH of users outside your own control), you should not use
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experimental APIs, unless you repackage them (e.g. using ProGuard).
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* Deprecated non-experimental APIs will be removed two years after the release
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in which they are first deprecated. You must fix your references before this
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time. If you don't, any manner of breakage could result (you are not
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guaranteed a compilation error).
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* Protobuf message interfaces/classes are designed to be subclassed by protobuf
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generated code only. Do not subclass these message interfaces/classes
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yourself. We may add new methods to the message interfaces/classes which will
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break your own subclasses.
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* Don't use any method/class that is marked as "used by generated code only".
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Such methods/classes are subject to change.
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* Protobuf LITE runtime APIs are not stable yet. They are subject to change even
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in minor version releases.
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## Documentation
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The complete documentation for Protocol Buffers is available via the
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web at:
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https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers/
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## Kotlin Protocol Buffers
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Code to support more idiomatic Kotlin protocol buffers has been added to the
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repository, and Kotlin support will be launched in the next numbered release.
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