The Rust prost crate is a code generator and runtime library for Protocol Buffers, a language-agnostic data serialization format originally developed by Google. The crate enables Rust developers to define Protocol Buffer messages in Rust code, which are then compiled into serialization and deserialization code at build time.
The generated code provides a strongly-typed API for working with Protocol Buffer messages, enabling efficient serialization and deserialization of data. The runtime library provides functions for reading and writing Protocol Buffer messages to and from files or streams, as well as utilities for working with message fields, extensions and enumerations.
In summary, the Rust prost crate simplifies the process of working with Protocol Buffers in Rust, enabling efficient and safe data serialization and deserialization, while also providing a granular API for working with message fields and structures.