## Simple & Performant Zero-Copy Serialization
Performance of Flatbuffers / Cap'N Proto with flexibility of JSON
### Features
- Zero dependencies
- Zero copy deserialization
- `no_std` support, WASM ready
- Native byte-wise sorting
- Extensive Documentation & Testing
- Easily mutate, add or delete values in existing buffers
- Schemas allow default values and non destructive updates
- Supports most common native data types
- Supports collection types (list, map, table & tuple)
- Supports deep nesting of collection types
- [Thoroughly documented](https://docs.rs/no_proto/latest/no_proto/format/index.html) & simple data storage format
NoProto allows you to store, read & mutate structured data with near zero overhead. It's like Cap'N Proto/Flatbuffers except buffers and schemas are dynamic at runtime instead of requiring compilation. It's like JSON but faster, type safe and allows native types.
Byte-wise sorting comes in the box and is a first class operation. Two NoProto buffers can be compared at the byte level *without deserializing* and a correct ordering between the buffer's internal values will be the result. This is extremely useful for storing ordered keys in databases.
NoProto moves the cost of deserialization to the access methods instead of deserializing the entire object ahead of time (Incremental Deserialization). This makes it a perfect use case for things like database storage or file storage of structured data.
*Compared to FlatBuffers / Cap'N Proto / Protocol Buffers*
- Comparable serialization & deserialization performance
- Easier & Simpler API
- Schemas are dynamic at runtime, no compilation step
- Supports more types and better nested type support
- Byte-wise sorting is first class operation
- Mutate (add/delete/update) existing/imported buffers
*Compared to JSON*
- Usually more space efficient
- Deserializtion is zero copy
- Faster serialization & deserialization
- Has schemas / type safe
- Supports byte-wise sorting
- Supports raw bytes & other native types
*Compared to BSON*
- Usually more space efficient
- Deserializtion is zero copy
- Faster serialization & deserialization
- Has schemas / type safe
- Byte-wise sorting is first class operation
- Supports much larger documents (4GB vs 16KB)
- Better collection support & more supported types
*Compared to Serde*
- Supports byte-wise sorting
- Objects & schemas are dynamic at runtime
- Deserializtion is zero copy
- Language agnostic
| **NoProto** | ✓ | ~4GB | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| JSON | 𐄂 | Unlimited | ✓ | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 |
| BSON | 𐄂 | ~16KB | ✓ | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 |
| MessagePack | 𐄂 | Unlimited | ✓ | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 |
| FlatBuffers | ✓ | ~2GB | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Protocol Buffers | 𐄂 | ~2GB | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Cap'N Proto | ✓ | 2^64 Bytes | 𐄂 | ✓ | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Serde | 𐄂 | ? | 𐄂 | ✓ | 𐄂 | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
| Veriform | 𐄂 | ? | 𐄂 | 𐄂 | 𐄂 | 𐄂 | 𐄂 |
# Quick Example
```rust
use no_proto::error::NP_Error;
use no_proto::NP_Factory;
use no_proto::collection::table::NP_Table;
use no_proto::pointer::NP_Ptr;
// JSON is used to describe schema for the factory
// Each factory represents a single schema
// One factory can be used to serialize/deserialize any number of buffers
let user_factory = NP_Factory::new(r#"{
"type": "table",
"columns": [
["name", {"type": "string"}],
["age", {"type": "u16", "default": 0}],
["tags", {"type": "list", "of": {
"type": "string"
}}]
]
}"#)?;
// create a new empty buffer
let mut user_buffer = user_factory.empty_buffer(None, None); // optional capacity, optional address size (u16 by default)
// set an internal value of the buffer, set the "name" column
user_buffer.set(&["name"], "Billy Joel")?;
// assign nested internal values, sets the first tag element
user_buffer.set(&["tags","0"], "first tag")?;
// get an internal value of the buffer from the "name" column
let name = user_buffer.get::<&str>(&["name"])?;
assert_eq!(name, Some("Billy Joel"));
// close buffer and get internal bytes
let user_bytes: Vec<u8> = user_buffer.close();
// open the buffer again
let user_buffer = user_factory.open_buffer(user_bytes);
// get nested internal value, first tag from the tag list
let tag = user_buffer.get::<String>(&["tags", "0"])?;
assert_eq!(tag, Some("first tag"));
// get nested internal value, the age field
let age = user_buffer.get::<u16>(&["age"])?;
// returns default value from schema
assert_eq!(age, Some(0u16));
// close again
let user_bytes: Vec<u8> = user_buffer.close();
// we can now save user_bytes to disk,
// send it over the network, or whatever else is needed with the data
// The schema can also be compiled into a byte array for more efficient schema parsing.
let byte_schema: Vec<u8> = user_factory.compile_schema();
// The byte schema can be used just like JSON schema, but it's WAY faster to parse.
let user_factory2 = NP_Factory::new_compiled(byte_schema);
// confirm the new byte schema works with existing buffers
let user_buffer = user_factory2.open_buffer(user_bytes);
let tag = user_buffer.get::<&str>(&["tags", "0"])?;
assert_eq!(tag, Some("first tag"));
# Ok::<(), NP_Error>(())
```
## Guided Learning / Next Steps:
1. [`Schemas`](https://docs.rs/no_proto/latest/no_proto/schema/index.html) - Learn how to build & work with schemas.
2. [`Factories`](https://docs.rs/no_proto/latest/no_proto/struct.NP_Factory.html) - Parsing schemas into something you can work with.
3. [`Buffers`](https://docs.rs/no_proto/latest/no_proto/buffer/struct.NP_Buffer.html) - How to create, update & compact buffers/data.
4. [`Data Format`](https://docs.rs/no_proto/latest/no_proto/format/index.html) - Learn how data is saved into the buffer.
#### Limitations
- Buffers cannot be larger than 2^32 bytes (~4GB).
- Lists cannot have more than 65,535 items.
- Enum/Option types are limited to 255 choices and choices cannot be larger than 255 bytes.
- Tables are limited to 255 columns and column names cannot be larger than 255 bytes.
- Tuple types are limited to 255 items.
- Buffers are not validated or checked before deserializing.
#### Non Goals / Known Tradeoffs
There are formats that focus on being as compact as possible. While NoProto is not intentionally wasteful, it's primary focus is not on compactness. If you need the smallest possible format MessagePack is a good choice. It's all about tradeoffs, NoProto uses up extra bytes over other formats to make zero copy de/serialization, traversal and mutation as fast as possible.
If every CPU cycle counts, you don't mind compiling fixed schemas and you don't plan to mutate your buffers/objects, FlatBuffers/CapnProto is probably the way to go. While NoProto makes good tradeoffs with flexibility and performance, it cannot be as fast as languages that compile the schema into source code.
----------------------
MIT License
Copyright (c) 2020 Scott Lott
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