Understanding XDR: A Flexible and Efficient Data Model for Distributed Systems

XDR (eXtensible Data Records) is a data model and serialization format that provides a flexible and efficient way to represent complex data structures in a binary format. It was developed by Google and is used in various Google protocols, including Protocol Buffers and gRPC.

XDR is designed to be extensible, allowing new data types to be added without breaking compatibility with existing implementations. It also provides a number of features that make it well-suited for use in distributed systems, such as support for nested data structures, efficient serialization and deserialization, and built-in support for common data types like integers and strings.

One of the key benefits of XDR is its ability to efficiently represent complex data structures in a compact binary format. This makes it well-suited for use in high-performance applications where bandwidth and memory usage are important considerations. Additionally, XDR's extensibility and flexibility make it a good choice for use in distributed systems where new data types may need to be added over time.