Message format indicator for resource-constrained devices

A method comprising:

• receiving a first message sent by an edge computing device;
• determining that the first message comprises a first data format identifier;
• determining that the first message comprises a first data format patch comprising first computer-executable instructions configured to modify a previously-stored data format;
• determining that the first data format identifier was previously stored in a data structure in association with a first data format;
• modifying the first data format using the first data format patch to generate a first modified data format;
• storing the first modified data format in the data structure in association with the first data format identifier;
• reading a payload of the first message using the first modified data format, wherein the first modified data format comprises a first message schema associated with payloads of messages of a first type;
• receiving, by a receiver, a second message sent by the edge computing device;
• determining, by the receiver, that the second message comprises a second data format patch comprising second computer-executable instructions configured to modify a previously-stored data format;
• determining, based at least in part on the first data format patch, the first data format identifier included in the second message;
• looking up the first modified data format in the data structure using the first data format identifier;
• modifying the first modified data format using the first computer-executable instructions to generate a second modified data format;
• receiving, by the receiver and from the edge computing device, a third message, wherein the third message comprises a second type of message generated by the edge computing device;
• determining that the third message comprises a second data format identifier;
• and
• retrieving, by the receiver, a second data format stored in association with the second data format identifier from the data structure, wherein the second data format comprises a second message schema associated with payloads of messages of the second type.

A method comprising:

• establishing, by a sender device, a communication channel with a receiver device;
• generating, by the sender device, a first message of a first type, the first message comprising a first data format definition and a first data format identifier associated with the first data format definition, wherein the first data format definition comprises a first message schema comprising instructions used to programmatically parse payloads of messages of the first type;
• sending, by the sender device, the first message to the receiver device using the communication channel;
• generating, by the sender device, a second message of the first type, the second message comprising the first data format identifier and a patch, the patch comprising executable instructions effective to modify the first data format definition to generate a first modified data format definition;
• sending, by the sender device, the second message of the first type to the receiver device using the communication channel, wherein the patch is effective to cause the receiver device to lookup the first data format definition stored in association with the first data format identifier and to modify the first data format definition to generate the first modified data format definition;
• and
• sending, by the sender device, a third message of a second type, the third message comprising a second data format identifier, wherein the second data format identifier identifies a previously-sent second data format definition, wherein the second data format definition comprises a second message schema comprising instructions used to programmatically parse payloads of messages of the second type.