msgpack23

A modern, header-only C++ library for MessagePack serialization and deserialization.

Overview

msgpack23 is a lightweight library that provides a straightforward approach to serializing and deserializing C++ data structures into the MessagePack format. It is written in modern C++ (targeting C++20 and beyond) and leverages templates and type traits to provide a flexible, zero-dependency solution for packing and unpacking various data types.

Key Features

• Header-only: Simply include the header and start using it—no additional build steps or dependencies.
• Modern C++: Uses C++ features like concepts to handle containers, maps, enums, time points, and user-defined types.
• Extensible: Allows you to define custom types by implementing pack and unpack member functions, automatically integrating them into the serialization pipeline.
• Collection and Map Support: Automatically detects and serializes STL containers (e.g., std::vector, std::map) without extra work.
• Time Point Support: Native support for serializing std::chrono::time_point objects.
• Variety of Primitive Types: Integers (signed/unsigned), booleans, floating-point, std::string, byte arrays, and nullptr are all supported out-of-the-box.
• Endian-Aware: Properly handles endianness using std::endian and std::byteswap to ensure portability.

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/rwindegger/msgpack23.git

2. Include the Header
   Since this is a header-only library, just include the main header in your project:

   #include "msgpack23.h"

3. Pack and Unpack

   #include <iostream>
   #include <map>
   #include "msgpack23.hpp"
   
   int main() {
      // Create a map of some data
      std::map<std::string, int> original {{"apple", 1}, {"banana", 2}};
   
      // 1) Pack into a vector of std::byte
      std::vector<std::byte> packedData{};
      auto const inserter = std::back_insert_iterator(packedData);
      msgpack23::Packer packer{inserter};
      packer(original); 
   
      // 2) Unpack back into a map
      std::map<std::string, int> unpacked;
      msgpack23::Unpacker unpacker(packedData);
      unpacker(unpacked);
   
      // Verify the result
      for (auto const& [key, value] : unpacked) {
         std::cout << key << ": " << value << "\n";
      }
      return 0;
   }

Custom Types

To serialize your own types, define a pack and unpack function. The pack should accept a T & and the unpack should accept a T &.

struct MyData {
   int64_t my_integer;
   std::string my_string;
   
   template<typename T>
   void pack(T &packer) const {
      packer(my_integer, my_string);
   }
   
   template<typename T>
   void unpack(T &unpacker) {
      unpacker(my_integer, my_string);
   }
};

Now you can use MyData with msgpack23 just like any built-in type:

MyData const my_data {42, "Hello" };
std::vector<std::byte> data{};
auto const inserter = std::back_insert_iterator(data);
msgpack23::pack(my_data);
auto obj = msgpack23::unpack<MyData>(data);

Why msgpack23?

• Simplicity: A single header with clearly structured pack/unpack logic.
• Performance: Minimal overhead by using direct memory operations and compile-time type deductions.
• Flexibility: From primitive types and STL containers to custom structures, everything can be serialized with minimal boilerplate.

Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome! Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

1. Fork it!
2. Create your feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add some feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/my-new-feature
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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Happy packing (and unpacking)! If you have any questions or feedback, please open an issue or start a discussion.