protoc - Protocol Buffer Compiler

Provides the protoc binary for compiling Protocol Buffers (.proto) files to various languages. Current stable version is v34.1.0 (corresponding to upstream v34.1). Released in sync with official protobuf releases; installs platform-specific binary (Linux, macOS, Windows) via npm. Differentiators: eliminates manual download and path setup, integrates with npm workflows, uses npx for simple execution. Requires Node.js >=20.0.0. Not a full protobuf runtime; only the compiler.