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Getting Started

Installation​

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Install the core interface and generator into your project:

dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Serialisation
dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Serialisation.Generator

Then add a backend for your chosen serialization format:

dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Serialisation.MemoryPack
# or
dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Serialisation.MessagePack
# or
dotnet add package ZeroAlloc.Serialisation.SystemTextJson

Add the generator as an analyzer so it produces no runtime dependency:

<PackageReference Include="ZeroAlloc.Serialisation.Generator" Version="*"
                  OutputItemType="Analyzer" ReferenceOutputAssembly="false" />

Quick Start​

1. Annotate your type​

Apply [ZeroAllocSerializable] alongside the backend's own attribute:

using MemoryPack;
using ZeroAlloc.Serialisation;

[MemoryPackable]
[ZeroAllocSerializable(SerializationFormat.MemoryPack)]
public partial class OrderCreated
{
    public Guid OrderId { get; set; }
    public string Product { get; set; } = "";
    public int Quantity { get; set; }
}

2. Register the generated serializer​

The generator emits OrderCreatedSerializer and a DI extension method:

// Program.cs / Startup.cs
services.AddOrderCreatedSerializer();

3. Inject and use​

public class OrderStore(ISerializer<OrderCreated> serializer)
{
    public void Write(IBufferWriter<byte> writer, OrderCreated evt)
        => serializer.Serialize(writer, evt);

    public OrderCreated? Read(ReadOnlySpan<byte> bytes)
        => serializer.Deserialize(bytes);
}

The ISerializer<T> Interface​

public interface ISerializer<T>
{
    void Serialize(IBufferWriter<byte> writer, T value);
    T? Deserialize(ReadOnlySpan<byte> buffer);
}

Serialize writes directly to any IBufferWriter<byte> — pipe writers, array buffer writers, pooled buffers — with no intermediate byte[] allocation.

Deserialize reads from a ReadOnlySpan<byte>, which covers in-memory buffers, Memory<byte>.Span, and slices of pooled arrays.