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<title>Interface description language</title>

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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Interface description language</span></span>

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<p>An <b>interface description language</b> or <b>interface definition language</b> (<b>IDL</b>) is a generic term for a language that lets a program or object written in one language communicate with another program written in an unknown language. IDLs are usually used to describe <a href="Data_type" title="Data type">data types</a> and interfaces in a <a href="Language-independent_specification" title="Language-independent specification">language-independent</a> way, for example, between those written in <a href="C%2B%2B" title="C++">C++</a> and those written in <a href="Java_(programming_language)" title="Java (programming language)">Java</a>.

</p><p>IDLs are commonly used in <a href="Remote_procedure_call" title="Remote procedure call">remote procedure call</a> software. In these cases the machines at either end of the <i>link</i> may be using different <a href="Operating_system" title="Operating system">operating systems</a> and computer languages. IDLs offer a bridge between the two different systems.

</p><p>Software systems based on IDLs include <a href="Sun_Microsystems" title="Sun Microsystems">Sun's</a> <a href="ONC_RPC" class="mw-redirect" title="ONC RPC">ONC RPC</a>, <a href="The_Open_Group" title="The Open Group">The Open Group</a>'s <a href="Distributed_Computing_Environment" title="Distributed Computing Environment">Distributed Computing Environment</a>, <a href="IBM" title="IBM">IBM</a>'s <a href="System_Object_Model" class="mw-redirect" title="System Object Model">System Object Model</a>, the <a href="Object_Management_Group" title="Object Management Group">Object Management Group</a>'s <a href="CORBA" class="mw-redirect" title="CORBA">CORBA</a> (which implements OMG IDL, an IDL based on DCE/RPC) and <a href="Data_Distribution_Service" title="Data Distribution Service">Data Distribution Service</a>, <a href="Mozilla" title="Mozilla">Mozilla</a>'s <a href="XPCOM" title="XPCOM">XPCOM</a>, <a href="Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a>'s <a href="Microsoft_RPC" title="Microsoft RPC">Microsoft RPC</a> (which evolved into <a href="Component_Object_Model" title="Component Object Model">COM</a> and <a href="Distributed_Component_Object_Model" title="Distributed Component Object Model">DCOM</a>), <a href="Facebook" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>'s <a href="Apache_Thrift" title="Apache Thrift">Thrift</a> and <a href="Web_Services_Description_Language" title="Web Services Description Language">WSDL</a> for Web services.

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Examples">Examples</h2></div>

<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://developer.android.com/guide/components/aidl">AIDL</a>: <a href="Java_(programming_language)" title="Java (programming language)">Java</a>-based, for <a href="Android_(operating_system)" title="Android (operating system)">Android</a>; supports local and remote procedure calls, can be accessed from native applications by calling through <a href="Java_Native_Interface" title="Java Native Interface">Java Native Interface</a> (JNI)</li>

<li><a href="Apache_Thrift" title="Apache Thrift">Apache Thrift</a>: from <a href="Apache_Software_Foundation" class="mw-redirect" title="Apache Software Foundation">Apache</a>, originally developed by <a href="Facebook" title="Facebook">Facebook</a></li>

<li><a href="Apache_Avro" title="Apache Avro">Avro IDL</a>: for the Apache Avro system</li>

<li><a href="Cap'n_Proto" title="Cap'n Proto">Cap'n Proto</a>: created by its former maintainer, avoids some of the perceived shortcomings of <a href="Protocol_Buffers" title="Protocol Buffers">Protocol Buffers</a>.</li>

<li>Concise Data Definition Language (CDDL, RFC 8610):<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A Notation for <a href="CBOR" title="CBOR">CBOR</a> and <a href="JSON" title="JSON">JSON</a> data structures</li>

<li>CortoScript: Describe data and/or interfaces for systems that require <a href="Semantic_interoperability" title="Semantic interoperability">Semantic interoperability</a></li>

<li><a href="Etch_(protocol)" title="Etch (protocol)">Etch</a>: Cisco's Etch Cross-platform Service Description Language</li>

<li><a href="Extensible_Data_Notation" class="mw-redirect" title="Extensible Data Notation">Extensible Data Notation</a> (EDN): <a href="Clojure" title="Clojure">Clojure</a> data format, similar to JSON</li>

<li><a href="FlatBuffers" title="FlatBuffers">FlatBuffers</a>: Serialization format from <a href="Google" title="Google">Google</a> supporting zero-copy deserialization</li>

<li><a href="Franca_IDL" title="Franca IDL">Franca IDL</a>: the open-source Franca interface definition language</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/get-started/learn/fidl/fidl">FIDL</a>: Interface description language for the <a href="Fuchsia_(operating_system)" title="Fuchsia (operating system)">Fuchsia Operating System</a> designed for writing app components in <a href="C_(programming_language)" title="C (programming language)">C</a>, <a href="C%2B%2B" title="C++">C++</a>, <a href="Dart_(programming_language)" title="Dart (programming language)">Dart</a>, <a href="Go_(programming_language)" title="Go (programming language)">Go</a> and <a href="Rust_(programming_language)" title="Rust (programming language)">Rust</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>

<li><a href="IDL_specification_language" title="IDL specification language">IDL specification language</a>: the original Interface Description Language</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://docs.imandra.ai/ipl">IPL</a>: Imandra Protocol Language</li>

<li><a href="JSON" title="JSON">JSON</a> Web-Service Protocol (<a href="JSON-WSP" title="JSON-WSP">JSON-WSP</a>)</li>

<li><a href="Lightweight_Imaging_Device_Interface_Language" title="Lightweight Imaging Device Interface Language">Lightweight Imaging Device Interface Language</a></li>

<li><a href="Microsoft_Interface_Definition_Language" title="Microsoft Interface Definition Language">Microsoft Interface Definition Language</a> (MIDL): the Microsoft extension of OMG IDL to add support for <a href="Component_Object_Model" title="Component Object Model">Component Object Model</a> (COM) and <a href="Distributed_Component_Object_Model" title="Distributed Component Object Model">Distributed Component Object Model</a> (DCOM)</li>

<li><a href="OMG_IDL" class="mw-redirect" title="OMG IDL">OMG IDL</a>: standardized by <a href="Object_Management_Group" title="Object Management Group">Object Management Group</a>, used in <a href="CORBA" class="mw-redirect" title="CORBA">CORBA</a> (for DCE/RPC services) and <a href="Data_Distribution_Service" title="Data Distribution Service">DDS</a> (for <a href="Data_modeling" title="Data modeling">data modeling</a>), also selected by the W3C for exposing the DOM of XML, HTML, and CSS documents</li>

<li><a href="OpenAPI_Specification" title="OpenAPI Specification">OpenAPI Specification</a>: a standard for <a href="Web_API" title="Web API">Web APIs</a>, used by <a href="Swagger_(software)" title="Swagger (software)">Swagger</a> and other technologies.</li>

<li><a href="Open_Service_Interface_Definitions" class="mw-redirect" title="Open Service Interface Definitions">Open Service Interface Definitions</a></li>

<li><a href="Protocol_Buffers" title="Protocol Buffers">Protocol Buffers</a>: <a href="Google" title="Google">Google</a>'s IDL</li>

<li><a href="RESTful_Service_Description_Language" title="RESTful Service Description Language">RESTful Service Description Language</a> (RSDL)</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://smithy.io">Smithy</a>: An AWS-invented protocol-agnostic interface definition language.</li>

<li>Specification Language for <a href="Internet_Communications_Engine" title="Internet Communications Engine">Internet Communications Engine</a> (Ice: <a href="Internet_Communications_Engine#Slice" title="Internet Communications Engine">Slice</a>)</li>

<li><a href="Universal_Network_Objects" title="Universal Network Objects">Universal Network Objects</a>: <a href="OpenOffice.org" title="OpenOffice.org">OpenOffice.org</a>'s component model</li>

<li><a href="Web_Application_Description_Language" title="Web Application Description Language">Web Application Description Language</a> (WADL)</li>

<li><a href="Web_IDL" title="Web IDL">Web IDL</a> by <a href="WHATWG" title="WHATWG">WHATWG</a>: can be used to describe interfaces that are intended to be implemented in web browsers</li>

<li><a href="Web_Services_Description_Language" title="Web Services Description Language">Web Services Description Language</a> (WSDL)</li>

<li><a href="XCB" title="XCB">XCB</a>: X protocol description language for <a href="X_Window_System" title="X Window System">X Window System</a></li>

<li>Cross Platform Interface Description Language (<a href="XPIDL" title="XPIDL">XPIDL</a>): Mozilla's way to specify XPCOM interfaces</li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="Component-based_software_engineering" title="Component-based software engineering">Component-based software engineering</a></li>

<li><a href="Interface-based_programming" title="Interface-based programming">Interface-based programming</a></li>

<li><a href="Java_Interface_Definition_Language" title="Java Interface Definition Language">Java Interface Definition Language</a></li>

<li><a href="List_of_computing_and_IT_abbreviations" title="List of computing and IT abbreviations">List of computing and IT abbreviations</a></li>

<li><a href="Universal_Interface_Language" title="Universal Interface Language">Universal Interface Language</a></li>

<li><a href="User_interface_markup_language" title="User interface markup language">User interface markup language</a></li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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</style><cite id="CITEREFBirkholzViganoBormann2019" class="citation journal cs1">Birkholz, H.; Vigano, C.; Bormann, C. (2019). <span class="id-lock-subscription" title="Paid subscription required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8610">"Concise Data Definition Language (CDDL): A Notational Convention to Express Concise Binary Object Representation (CBOR) and JSON Data Structures"</a></span>. <i>RFC Editor</i>. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.17487%2FRFC8610">10.17487/RFC8610</a>. <a href="S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:195857027">195857027</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-05-24</span></span>.</cite></span>

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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/concepts/fidl/overview">"FIDL Overview"</a>. <i>Fuchsia</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-02-23</span></span>.</cite></span>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>

<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://resources.sei.cmu.edu/library/asset-view.cfm?assetid=5939">Documenting Software Architecture: Documenting Interfaces</a> (PDF)</li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.omg.org/spec/IDL">OMG Specification of OMG IDL</a></li>

<li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.omg.org/gettingstarted/omg_idl.htm">OMG Tutorial on OMG IDL</a></li></ul></div><div><div class="zim-footer">

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