Buf Schema Registry (BSR) helps teams manage Protobuf APIs as they change. Teams can publish schemas as versioned modules, resolve dependencies declared in buf.yaml, and use generated native SDKs for supported languages. The service creates browsable documentation from schema versions and comments. Server-side lint and breaking-change rules can stop a change or send it for review, while dependency maps help teams identify consumers before deprecating a module. BSR offers APIs through Connect, gRPC, and gRPC-Web, plus a GitHub Action and CLI integrations for CI/CD workflows. Community is free and includes one private repository limited to 100 types, alongside unlimited public repositories. Teams costs $0.50 USD per type per month and includes unlimited private repositories; Pro costs $5.00 USD per type per month with a $3,000/month minimum spend. Enterprise pricing is custom. Pro includes a managed private instance; Enterprise offers self-hosted or on-prem deployments. The platform supports web, API, and self-hosted access, and is based in the United States.
Who it is for
BSR suits teams publishing Protobuf APIs that need versioned schemas, generated SDKs, documentation, and dependency visibility. Its deployment and governance options may also suit organizations with review or isolation requirements.
What is good
- Publishes versioned Protobuf modules and resolves dependencies.
- Generates SDKs and browsable schema documentation.
- Lint and breaking-change policies can gate updates.
- Free Community plan includes unlimited public repositories.
What to know first
- Community limits private use to one repository and 100 types.
- Pro has a $3,000/month minimum spend.
- Paid plans charge by type per month.
Verdict
BSR combines schema versioning, dependency visibility, generated SDKs, and change governance for Protobuf APIs. Community is free, while paid tiers add capacity and deployment options; Pro has a substantial stated monthly minimum.
Buf Schema Registry plans and pricing
All plansCompared on schema registry software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $0.50/mo
- Schema formats
- Protobuf
- Compatibility modes
- FILE, PACKAGE, WIRE, WIRE_JSON
- Validation scope
- api
- Deployment options
- hybrid
- Approval workflows
- Yes
- Git synchronization
- No
