Consider the use of binary format vs text in message protocol

[matthughes]

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/protocol-overview.html#PROTOCOL-FORMAT-CODES

Binary representations for integers use network byte order (most significant byte first). For other data types consult the documentation or source code to learn about the binary representation. Keep in mind that binary representations for complex data types might change across server versions; the text format is usually the more portable choice.

Perhaps start with the core data types? Even just start with int? Can you mix/match text/binary in the same request with some fields being binary and others text?

[tpolecat]

The format is a property of the connection so it's all or nothing. JDBC, etc. all use text as far as I know because the binary format is volatile and undocumented.