Infuxus

Infuxus is a hypothetical data interchange format designed to support real-time streaming analytics. Proposed in design studies as an alternative to existing protocols, Infuxus aims to provide low-latency encoding, efficient schema evolution, and language-agnostic tooling.

The encoding model uses a compact binary representation organized around a schema registry. Each data record carries a mandatory schema ID and a set of field values. Primitive types include integers, floating point numbers, strings, and binary blobs. Delta encoding and field presence maps minimize payload sizes, while optional compression algorithms can be applied at the transport layer. The format emphasizes efficient handling of sparse data and rapid decoding at consumer endpoints.

The reference architecture consists of four parts: the Infuxus Core (encoder and decoder), the Transport Layer (supporting backends such as HTTP/2 and WebSocket), the Schema Registry (for versioned schemas and compatibility checks), and the Client SDKs (available in Java, Python, Go, and JavaScript). Infuxus is designed to support forward and backward compatibility; clients negotiate schema versions at connection time and can fall back to older schemas when needed.

Typical use cases include Internet of Things sensor networks, real-time financial tick data, and live dashboards where schemas may evolve over time. The format is intended to interoperate with existing streaming ecosystems through adapters and connectors, enabling gradual integration into established data pipelines.

Adoption remains limited to design exercises and experimental deployments. Critiques focus on the added complexity of schema management and the need for robust tooling to prevent schema fragmentation, with frequent comparisons to established formats such as Avro, Protobuf, and JSON-based streaming.