Today we’re gonna talk about something that might sound a bit fancy and intimidating at first glance but trust me when I say it’s not as complicated as you think: protocols in software engineering.

Now, before we dive into the details of what exactly is a protocol, let’s take a step back and talk about something that might be more familiar to us all cooking!

Imagine you’re making spaghetti bolognese for dinner tonight. You go to your local grocery store and see an array of different types of tomatoes, but which one do you choose? Well, if the recipe calls for canned tomatoes, then you might want to look for San Marzano or Roma tomatoes because they’re sweeter and have fewer seeds than other varieties.

But what if your recipe doesn’t specify any particular type of tomato? That’s where protocols come in! In this case, the protocol would be to choose a canned tomato that is sweet and has fewer seeds because it will result in a better-tasting sauce.

Now let’s translate this into software engineering terms. When you’re selecting data structures for an algorithm or choosing between different programming languages, the protocol would be to choose one that best fits your needs based on its behavior and functionality. For example, if you need a collection of texts, then a list might be a better choice than a set because it allows duplicates whereas a set does not.

In software engineering, protocols are often more important than types because they define how objects behave rather than what type they are. This is why we use interfaces and abstract classes to enforce these protocols instead of relying solely on inheritance or subclassing. By doing so, we can create more flexible and maintainable code that is easier to test and understand for other developers.

The importance of protocols in software engineering a concept that might sound fancy but is actually quite simple once you break it down into everyday terms like cooking spaghetti bolognese.