How do I handle unknown fields safely using Protobuf with Swift?

Handling unknown fields safely when using Protobuf with Swift is important for maintaining data integrity and backward compatibility. Protocol Buffers, or Protobuf, allows for efficient serialization of structured data. Sometimes, your Protobuf schema may evolve, leading to scenarios where unknown fields may be present in the incoming data. Here's how you can handle that effectively in Swift.

        // Assuming a proto message definition like this:
        // message User {
        //     string name = 1;
        //     int32 age = 2;
        // }
        
        // When you receive data that might have unknown fields, use:
        let userData: Data = ... // Your serialized user data
        
        do {
            let user = try User(from: userData)
            print("Name: \(user.name), Age: \(user.age)")
        } catch {
            print("Failed to decode user data: \(error)")
        }
    

In Swift, Protobuf will automatically ignore unknown fields during deserialization, ensuring that your application can safely process messages without crashing. This allows older clients to send data to newer ones without breaking the application.