...Every choice in computing has a tradeoff. This includes formats, algorithms, encodings, and so on. And even with a great deal of planning, decisions may lead to breaking changes down the road, or to solutions that are no longer optimal. Allowing systems to evolve and grow is important. The Multiformats Project is a collection of protocols that aim to future-proof systems, today. They do this mainly by enhancing format values with self-description. This allows interoperability, and protocol agility, and helps us avoid lock-in.