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Skir – A schema language I built after 15 years of Protobuf friction

Skir – A schema language I built after 15 years of Protobuf friction

by gepheum·Mar 8, 2026·113 points·64 comments
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AI Analysis

●●SolidDark HorseBig Brain

Protobuf alternative with better DX, but gRPC + OpenAPI already solve this space.

Strengths
  • •Single YAML config with watch-mode recompilation—clean developer workflow vs Protobuf's verbosity
  • •Schema evolution safety checks and dense JSON serialization are thoughtful features
  • •End-to-end type safety for RPC is gRPC parity but easier to adopt
Weaknesses
  • •gRPC dominates polyglot RPC; Protobuf is entrenched despite friction—adoption bar is steep
  • •Author's Medium essay is premise for building, not proof of category gap
Target Audience

Backend teams using polyglot stacks, microservices architecture

Similar To

Protocol Buffers · gRPC · Apache Avro

Post Description

Why I built Skir: https://medium.com/@gepheum/i-spent-15-years-with-protobuf-t...

Quick start: npx skir init

All the config lives in one YML file.

Website: https://skir.build

GitHub: https://github.com/gepheum/skir

Would love feedback especially from teams running mixed-language stacks.

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