Protocol Compiler (protoc)

The Protocol Compiler (protoc) is a tool used in software development to automatically generate code that enables different applications to communicate via standardized data formats. When developers define the structure of data and service interfaces using a special language, protoc translates these definitions into language-specific code (like C++, Java, or Python). This generated code helps applications send, receive, and understand messages in a consistent way, simplifying the process of building reliable networked systems, especially in distributed environments like microservices or client-server architectures.