https://github.com/r-unic/serio
Roblox buffer serialization library
https://github.com/r-unic/serio
deserialization rbxts roblox serde serdes serialization
Last synced: 4 months ago
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Roblox buffer serialization library
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/r-unic/serio
- Owner: R-unic
- Created: 2025-06-02T15:36:36.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2026-03-01T19:33:41.000Z (4 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-03-01T21:53:40.800Z (4 months ago)
- Topics: deserialization, rbxts, roblox, serde, serdes, serialization
- Language: TypeScript
- Homepage: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@rbxts/serio
- Size: 225 KB
- Stars: 9
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# Serio
[](https://github.com/R-unic/serio/actions/workflows)
[](https://coveralls.io/github/R-unic/serio)
Binary (buffer) serialization library for Roblox built on Flamework.
Heavily inspired by @rbxts/flamework-binary-serializer. It generates schemas for ser/des from just a type just like FBS.
> [!CAUTION]
> Depends on `rbxts-transformer-flamework`!
## Getting started
### Schemas
Schemas in Serio are just types. The most basic of schemas is just a singular type, such as `boolean`, `u8`, etc. However schemas can also contain objects, lists, sets, maps, tuples, and several Roblox data types. As an example:
```ts
import type { u8 } from "@rbxts/serio";
interface MySchema {
readonly epic: boolean;
readonly foo: u8;
}
```
### Serializers
Only one (global) function is exposed by Serio, `createSerializer()`. It's a macro you will pass your schema into to create a serializer. Serializers have two methods. `serialize()` and `deserialize()`. Serialized data contains a buffer (`buf`), and a list of blobs (`blobs`) (values which can not, or should not, be serialized. e.x. instances)
```ts
import createSerializer from "@rbxts/serio";
const mySerializer = createSerializer();
const data = mySerializer.serialize({ epic: true, foo: 69 });
const result = mySerializer.deserialize(data);
print(data.buf, data.blobs);
print(result.epic, result.foo);
```
## Data Types
Serio can serialize many data types, including numeric types not natively supported by the `buffer` library.
### Safety
Serio automatically asserts that inputs are within the bounds of their respective type. (e.x. `u8` only allows numbers 0 to 255)
### Extended Support
Serio supports data types that are not natively supported by the `buffer` library or Roblox. Currently the only examples of this are `f24`,`f16`, `f8`, `u12`, `u24`, `i12` and `i24`. 12-bit types are not allowed without using packing as they occupy individual bits and require packing.
Note: Floating point values with low bit counts like f8 and f16 can produce pretty inaccurate results. Use with caution.
```ts
import type { f8, f16, f24, u12, u24, i12, i24 } from "@rbxts/serio";
interface CoolTypes {
readonly a: f8;
readonly b: f16;
readonly c: f24;
readonly d: u12;
readonly e: u24;
readonly f: i12;
readonly g: i24;
}
```
### Customization
Serio encourages full customization over the size of serialized values.
```ts
import type { List, String, HashSet, HashMap, Tuple, Vector, ScaleOffset, ScaleOffset2, i8, u8, i16, u16 } from "@rbxts/serio";
interface Example {
// serialize the length of the array/string/tuple/set/map as a u8, allowing a maximum of 255 elements (which most collections are under anyways)
string: String;
list: List;
set: HashSet<"a" | "b" | "c", u8>;
map: HashMap;
tuple: Tuple<[boolean, u8, string], u8>;
// serialize X and Z as i16s but Y as a u16, allowing a range of:
// X: -32,768 - 32,767
// Y: 0 - 65,535
// Z: -32,768 - 32,767
positiveYVector: Vector;
velocity: Vector; // serialize X, Y, and Z as i8s
// serialize positional X, Y, and Z as i16s
cframe: Transform;
// serialize Scale as an f32, and Offset as a u8
udim: ScaleOffset;
// serialize X.Scale and Y.Scale as f32s, and X.Offset and Y.Offset u8s
udim2: ScaleOffset2;
// serialize X.Scale as an f32, Y.Scale as a u8, X.Offset as a u8, and Y.Offset as an i8
specificUDim2: ScaleOffset2;
}
const serializer = createSerializer();
```
### Packing
Serio can bitpack your data for you using the `Packed` datatype. It bitpacks every type under `T` recursively.
You may know a boolean can be represented by just one bit, but to insert a boolean into a buffer you need to serialize it as an entire byte (8 bits). This is where bitpacking comes in. We can keep track of a list of bits to later combine together into a single byte (for 8 or less booleans), rather than one byte for each of your booleans.
This doesn't just affect booleans though, it also affects:
- Optional values
- Boolean for whether the value exists
- UDim2s
- Optimization for [UDim2 special cases](https://github.com/R-unic/serio/blob/master/src/constants.ts#L123)
- Boolean for whether the UDim2 was optimized
- Vector3s
- Optimization for [vector special cases](https://github.com/R-unic/serio/blob/master/src/constants.ts#L37)
- Boolean for whether the vector was optimized
- CFrames
- Optimization for two vector special cases (0,0,0 and 1,1,1) and [axis aligned rotation special cases](https://github.com/R-unic/serio/blob/master/src/constants.ts#L8)
- Boolean for whether the position was optimized
- Boolean for whether the rotation was optimized
### Supported Types
- All primitives
- Tuples
- Objects
- Array
- Map
- Set
- CFrame
- Vector3
- UDim
- UDim2
- Color3
- ColorSequence
- NumberSequence
- Literal unions
- Tagged unions
- Complex mixed unions
- Enums
## Optimization
CFrames use 6 bytes less than in FBS by default. In FBS CFrames are serialized as six f32s, 24 bytes. The default for Serio is three f32s for position, two u16s for rotation X/Z, and one i16 for rotation Y. And of course you can make this less by not using the default type for position X/Y/Z (`Transform`).