A message format is the agreed structure, encoding, and field schema for data exchanged between systems over a protocol. It specifies headers, payload layout, data types, and serialisation so that senders and receivers can unambiguously parse and validate messages. Standardised message formats are essential to interoperability in communication protocols and transaction standards.
Content
- Formats range from text-based JSON and XML to compact binary schemas such as Protocol Buffers and ISO 20022 financial messages. Versioning, backward compatibility, and validation rules are central concerns, since format mismatches break interoperability and can corrupt downstream processing.