assert-size-derive

A Rust procedural macro for compile-time type size assertions.

Overview

assert-size-derive provides a simple attribute macro that verifies types have the expected size in bytes at compile time. If the actual size doesn't match the expected size, compilation fails with a clear error message.

Installation

Add this to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
assert-size-derive = "0.1.0"

Usage

Apply the #[assert_size(N)] attribute to any type definition, where N is the expected size in bytes:

use assert_size_derive::assert_size;

#[assert_size(2)]
struct MyData {
    foo: u8,
    bar: u8,
}

#[assert_size(16)]
enum MyEnum {
    Variant1(u64),
    Variant2(u32),
}

#[assert_size(8)]
union MyUnion {
    unsigned: u64,
    signed: i64,
}

If the size doesn't match, you'll get a compile-time error:

// This will fail to compile!
#[assert_size(1)]
struct TooLarge {
    a: u8,
    b: u8,  // Actual size is 2 bytes
}

Use Cases

Prevent regressions: Catch unintended size changes from refactoring
FFI safety: Ensure types meet specific memory layout requirements for C interop
Serialization: Verify types have expected sizes for binary protocols
Performance: Document and enforce size constraints for cache-friendly data structures
Cross-platform compatibility: Detect platform-specific size variations

Features

✅ Zero runtime overhead - all checks happen at compile time
✅ Works with structs, enums, and unions
✅ Supports all type attributes like #[repr(C)], #[repr(packed)], etc.
✅ Clear error messages on size mismatches
✅ Simple syntax - just one attribute with the expected size
✅ no_std compatible - works in embedded and bare-metal environments

Examples

With `repr` attributes

#[assert_size(15)]
#[repr(packed)]
struct PackedData {
    data: [u8; 11],
    ident: u32,
}

#[assert_size(1)]
#[repr(u8)]
enum SmallEnum {
    A,
    B,
    C,
}

Zero-sized types

#[assert_size(0)]
struct Marker;

#[assert_size(0)]
struct EmptyStruct {}

Tuple structs

#[assert_size(8)]
struct Wrapper(u64);

How It Works

The macro generates a compile-time assertion using core::mem::size_of and const evaluation:

const _: () = assert!(EXPECTED_SIZE == ::core::mem::size_of::<YourType>());

The type definition itself is preserved unchanged, so there's no impact on the generated code. Using core ensures compatibility with both std and no_std environments.

License

Licensed under the MIT License.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

assert-size-derive 0.1.0