Apache Thrift

1. Cross-Language Support: Enables seamless communication between applications written in different programming languages.

2. Efficient Serialization: Minimizes bandwidth usage and improves performance with efficient binary serialization.

3. Scalability: Designed for large-scale distributed systems, supporting asynchronous and synchronous communication patterns.

4. Service Definition Language: Defines data types and service interfaces in a platform-neutral format using an IDL.

Before learning Apache Thrift, it's helpful to have the following skills:

1. Programming Languages: Familiarity with at least one programming language supported by Apache Thrift, such as C++, Java, Python, or others.

2. Networking Concepts: Understanding of networking concepts like TCP/IP, HTTP, and RPC (Remote Procedure Call).

3. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA): Knowledge of SOA principles and how services interact with each other in distributed systems.

4. Data Serialization: Understanding of data serialization concepts, including binary and text-based serialization formats.

By learning Apache Thrift, you gain the following skills:

1. Cross-Language Communication: Ability to develop applications that communicate seamlessly across different programming languages.

2. Efficient RPC: Understanding of Remote Procedure Call (RPC) mechanisms for building efficient and scalable distributed systems.

3. Service Definition: Proficiency in defining and describing services using IDL (Interface Definition Language) for generating code in various languages.

4. Data Serialization: Knowledge of data serialization techniques for efficient data transfer between different components of a distributed system.