Why should I avoid Newtonsoft.Json in modern .NET applications?

Newtonsoft.Json relies heavily on runtime reflection, which is significantly slower than modern source-generated alternatives and is incompatible with Native AOT publishing.

When should I choose Protobuf over JSON?

Use Protobuf for high-performance internal communication like gRPC, actor messaging, or event sourcing where compact binary size and strict, contract-first versioning are critical.

What is the recommended way to handle JSON in .NET 7 and later?

The recommendation is to use System.Text.Json with JsonSerializerContext source generators to eliminate reflection at runtime and improve startup performance.

Is this skill compatible with Native AOT?

Yes, it specifically focuses on implementation patterns using source generators for System.Text.Json and MessagePack to ensure full compatibility with Native AOT and trimming.

.NET Serialization Expert

Name: .NET Serialization Expert
Author: Aaronontheweb

byAaronontheweb

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423

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API Development

Guides developers in choosing and implementing high-performance, AOT-compatible serialization formats like Protobuf, MessagePack, and System.Text.Json.

This skill provides comprehensive guidance on selecting the optimal serialization strategy for .NET distributed systems, APIs, and persistence layers. It emphasizes performance and future-proofing by advocating for schema-based formats and Native AOT-compatible patterns while providing specific migration paths from legacy libraries like Newtonsoft.Json. Users benefit from standardized implementation patterns for gRPC, actor messaging, and event sourcing, ensuring wire compatibility and security across process boundaries through best practices in versioning and type handling.

Key Features

01Format selection guidance (Protobuf vs. MessagePack vs. JSON)

02Wire compatibility and versioning best practices

03423 GitHub stars

04Integration patterns for Akka.NET and gRPC messaging

05Step-by-step migration from Newtonsoft.Json to System.Text.Json

06Native AOT-compatible source generation patterns

Use Cases

01Designing version-safe messaging for distributed actor systems

02Optimizing API performance and memory footprint with Source Generators

03Migrating legacy .NET applications to modern, AOT-ready serialization

What are Skills?·How to Install

Install with 🐟 Skill.Fish

npx skillfish add aaronontheweb/dotnet-skills serialization

For use in Claude.ai and ChatGPT

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