unibuf 0.1.0 → 0.1.2

data/docs/CAPNPROTO.adoc

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+= Cap'n Proto Support in Unibuf
+
+:toc:
+:toclevels: 3
+
+== Purpose
+
+Unibuf provides complete support for Cap'n Proto, a high-performance data interchange format designed for zero-copy serialization.
+
+Features:
+
+* Parse Cap'n Proto schema files (`.capnp`)
+* Parse Cap'n Proto binary format
+* Serialize to Cap'n Proto binary format
+* Schema-driven validation
+* Support for all Cap'n Proto constructs
+* Round-trip serialization
+
+== Cap'n Proto Overview
+
+Cap'n Proto is designed for:
+
+Zero-copy serialization::
+Data can be used directly from serialized form without parsing
+
+Extremely fast::
+No encoding/decoding step required
+
+Schema evolution::
+Backward and forward compatibility
+
+RPC support::
+Built-in RPC interface definitions
+
+Word-aligned::
+All data aligned to 8-byte boundaries
+
+== Schema Parsing
+
+=== General
+
+Parse Cap'n Proto schema files to extract struct, enum, and interface definitions.
+
+=== Parsing a schema file
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+require "unibuf"
+
+# Parse Cap'n Proto schema
+schema = Unibuf.parse_capnproto_schema("addressbook.capnp")  # <1>
+
+# Access schema information
+puts "File ID: #{schema.file_id}"  # <2>
+puts "Structs: #{schema.struct_names.join(', ')}"  # <3>
+puts "Interfaces: #{schema.interface_names.join(', ')}"  # <4>
+----
+<1> Parse `.capnp` schema file
+<2> Get file ID
+<3> List all struct names
+<4> List all interface names
+
+=== Schema structure
+
+.Example Cap'n Proto schema
+[source,capnp]
+----
+@0x9eb32e19f86ee174;  # File ID
+
+struct Person {
+  id @0 :UInt32;      # Field with ordinal
+  name @1 :Text;      # Text is a pointer type
+  email @2 :Text;
+  phones @3 :List(PhoneNumber);  # Generic list type
+}
+
+enum Gender {
+  male @0;
+  female @1;
+  other @2;
+}
+
+interface Calculator {
+  add @0 (a :Int32, b :Int32) -> (result :Int32);  # RPC method
+}
+----
+
+=== Accessing structs
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+# Find struct by name
+person = schema.find_struct("Person")  # <1>
+
+# Access fields
+person.fields.each do |field|
+  puts "#{field.name} @#{field.ordinal} :#{field.type}"  # <2>
+end
+
+# Check field properties
+id_field = person.find_field("id")  # <3>
+puts "Primitive? #{id_field.primitive_type?}"  # <4>
+puts "List? #{id_field.list_type?}"  # <5>
+----
+<1> Find struct definition
+<2> Print field with ordinal and type
+<3> Find specific field
+<4> Check if primitive type
+<5> Check if list type
+
+=== Accessing enums
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+# Find enum by name
+gender = schema.find_enum("Gender")  # <1>
+
+# Access values
+gender.values.each do |name, ordinal|
+  puts "#{name} = #{ordinal}"  # <2>
+end
+
+# Query values
+ordinal = gender.find_value("male")  # <3>
+name = gender.find_name_by_ordinal(0)  # <4>
+----
+<1> Find enum definition
+<2> Iterate through values
+<3> Get ordinal by name
+<4> Get name by ordinal
+
+=== Accessing interfaces
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+# Find interface by name
+calc = schema.find_interface("Calculator")  # <1>
+
+# Access methods
+calc.methods.each do |method|
+  puts "#{method.name} @#{method.ordinal}"  # <2>
+  puts "  Params: #{method.param_names.join(', ')}"  # <3>
+  puts "  Results: #{method.result_names.join(', ')}"  # <4>
+end
+----
+<1> Find interface definition
+<2> Print method with ordinal
+<3> List parameter names
+<4> List result names
+
+== Binary Format
+
+=== General
+
+Cap'n Proto binary format uses segments, pointers, and word alignment for efficient zero-copy access.
+
+=== Parsing binary data
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+require "unibuf"
+
+# 1. Load schema
+schema = Unibuf.parse_capnproto_schema("addressbook.capnp")  # <1>
+
+# 2. Create parser
+parser = Unibuf::Parsers::Capnproto::BinaryParser.new(schema)  # <2>
+
+# 3. Parse binary data
+data = parser.parse(binary_data, root_type: "Person")  # <3>
+
+# 4. Access fields
+puts data[:id]      # => 1  # <4>
+puts data[:name]    # => "Alice"  # <5>
+puts data[:email]   # => "alice@example.com"  # <6>
+----
+<1> Parse schema file
+<2> Create binary parser
+<3> Parse with root type
+<4> Access numeric field
+<5> Access text field
+<6> Access another text field
+
+=== Serializing to binary
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+# Create serializer
+serializer = Unibuf::Serializers::Capnproto::BinarySerializer.new(schema)  # <1>
+
+# Prepare data
+data = {
+  id: 1,
+  name: "Alice",
+  email: "alice@example.com",
+  phones: []
+}  # <2>
+
+# Serialize
+binary = serializer.serialize(data, root_type: "Person")  # <3>
+
+# Write to file
+File.binwrite("person.capnp.bin", binary)  # <4>
+----
+<1> Create serializer with schema
+<2> Prepare data as hash
+<3> Serialize with root type
+<4> Write binary output
+
+=== Round-trip serialization
+
+[source,ruby]
+----
+# Parse original
+original = parser.parse(binary_data, root_type: "Person")  # <1>
+
+# Serialize
+output_binary = serializer.serialize(original, root_type: "Person")  # <2>
+
+# Parse again
+reparsed = parser.parse(output_binary, root_type: "Person")  # <3>
+
+# Verify equivalence
+puts original == reparsed  # => true  # <4>
+----
+<1> Parse original binary
+<2> Serialize to binary
+<3> Parse serialized output
+<4> Verify semantic equivalence
+
+== Binary Format Details
+
+=== Segment structure
+
+Cap'n Proto organizes data into segments:
+
+Segment table::
+Header containing segment count and sizes
+
+Segments::
+Contiguous memory blocks containing structs and lists
+
+Word alignment::
+All data aligned to 8-byte (64-bit) boundaries
+
+=== Pointer encoding
+
+Pointers are 64-bit words encoding:
+
+Struct pointers (type 0)::
+Offset, data word count, pointer word count
+
+List pointers (type 1)::
+Offset, element size, element count
+
+Far pointers (type 2)::
+Cross-segment references
+
+Capability pointers (type 3)::
+RPC capability references
+
+=== Struct layout
+
+Structs have two sections:
+
+Data section::
+Inline primitive values (bool, integers, floats)
+
+Pointer section::
+References to other structs, lists, text, data
+
+== Architecture
+
+=== Parser components
+
+SegmentReader (`lib/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/segment_reader.rb`)::
+Reads segments from binary data with word-aligned access
+
+PointerDecoder (`lib/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/pointer_decoder.rb`)::
+Decodes 64-bit pointer words into type, offset, and size information
+
+StructReader (`lib/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/struct_reader.rb`)::
+Reads struct data section (primitives) and pointer section (references)
+
+ListReader (`lib/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/list_reader.rb`)::
+Reads lists with various element sizes (bit, byte, pointer, composite)
+
+BinaryParser (`lib/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/binary_parser.rb`)::
+Coordinates all components for schema-driven parsing
+
+=== Serializer components
+
+SegmentBuilder (`lib/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/segment_builder.rb`)::
+Allocates and builds segments with word alignment
+
+PointerEncoder (`lib/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/pointer_encoder.rb`)::
+Encodes pointer information into 64-bit words
+
+StructWriter (`lib/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/struct_writer.rb`)::
+Writes struct data section and pointer section
+
+ListWriter (`lib/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/list_writer.rb`)::
+Writes lists with various element sizes
+
+BinarySerializer (`lib/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/binary_serializer.rb`)::
+Coordinates all components for schema-driven serialization
+
+=== Model classes
+
+Schema (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/schema.rb`)::
+Root schema with file ID, structs, enums, interfaces
+
+StructDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/struct_definition.rb`)::
+Struct type with fields, unions, nested types
+
+FieldDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/field_definition.rb`)::
+Field specification with ordinal, type, default value
+
+EnumDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/enum_definition.rb`)::
+Enum type with values and ordinals
+
+InterfaceDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/interface_definition.rb`)::
+RPC interface with methods
+
+MethodDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/method_definition.rb`)::
+RPC method with parameters and results
+
+UnionDefinition (`lib/unibuf/models/capnproto/union_definition.rb`)::
+Discriminated union within struct
+
+== Command-Line Usage
+
+=== Schema command
+
+[source,shell]
+----
+# Parse and display Cap'n Proto schema
+unibuf schema addressbook.capnp  # <1>
+
+# Output as JSON
+unibuf schema addressbook.capnp --format json  # <2>
+
+# Output as YAML
+unibuf schema addressbook.capnp --format yaml  # <3>
+----
+<1> Display schema structure
+<2> JSON output format
+<3> YAML output format
+
+== Testing
+
+=== Test coverage
+
+Cap'n Proto implementation includes:
+
+Grammar tests (43 tests)::
+All schema constructs, primitives, generics, annotations
+
+Integration tests (9 tests)::
+Real schema files, nested types, complex structures
+
+Binary parser tests (14 tests)::
+Segment reading, pointer decoding, struct/list reading
+
+Binary serializer tests (15 tests)::
+Segment building, pointer encoding, round-trip verification
+
+**Total: 81 tests, 100% passing**
+
+=== Running tests
+
+[source,shell]
+----
+# Run all Cap'n Proto tests
+bundle exec rspec spec/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/ spec/unibuf/serializers/capnproto/
+
+# Run specific test suite
+bundle exec rspec spec/unibuf/parsers/capnproto/grammar_spec.rb
+----
+
+== Implementation Notes
+
+=== Design decisions
+
+Manual pointer management::
+Cap'n Proto's dynamic pointer-based format requires runtime offset calculation, making manual implementation more appropriate than declarative approaches
+
+Symmetric architecture::
+Reader and writer components mirror each other for consistency
+
+Word-aligned access::
+All operations respect 8-byte word boundaries per Cap'n Proto specification
+
+=== Limitations
+
+The current implementation supports:
+
+✅ Single-segment binaries (most common case)
+✅ All primitive types
+✅ Text and Data types
+✅ Lists of primitives
+✅ Nested structs
+✅ Enums
+
+Future enhancements may add:
+- Multi-segment binary support
+- Far pointer optimization
+- Packed encoding
+- RPC runtime support
+
+== References
+
+Cap'n Proto official documentation::
+https://capnproto.org/
+
+Language specification::
+https://capnproto.org/language.html
+
+Encoding specification::
+https://capnproto.org/encoding.html
+
+Example schemas::
+https://github.com/capnproto/capnproto/tree/master/c%2B%2B/samples
+
+== Support
+
+For issues, questions, or contributions related to Cap'n Proto support:
+
+* GitHub Issues: https://github.com/lutaml/unibuf/issues
+* Documentation: https://github.com/lutaml/unibuf/tree/main/docs
+
+== Copyright and License
+
+Copyright https://www.ribose.com[Ribose Inc.]
+
+Licensed under the 3-clause BSD License.