Schema Evolution and Interoperability: Contrasting Apache Avro with Thrift and Protocol Buffers

Girish Ganachari

Abstract: This paper presents the comparison of Apache Avro, Thrift, and Protocol Buffers, with an emphasis on the issues relating to schema changes and version compatibility of the schema in large-scale distributed computing. The evaluation determines their efficiency, adaptability, and compatibility, the information allowing for evaluating them according to the application for which they are suitable. The information researched contributes towards the identification of which frameworks are suitable for use given the nature of the project at hand.

Keywords: Schema evolution, interoperability, Apache Avro, Thrift, Protocol Buffers, distributed systems, performance evaluation, cross-language support