Introduce ReadProperties to IGeneratedBinaryReader and generated readers, enabling property population into existing instances. Refactor ReadObject to delegate to ReadProperties. Update codegen for complex objects, collections, and dictionaries to use inline property deserialization. Improves efficiency and flexibility for parent-driven instance creation and cache management. Update documentation and comments to reflect new pattern.
Refactor serialization context to use precomputed boolean flags
(HasRefHandling, HasAllRefHandling, HasStringInterning) for faster
reference and string interning checks, replacing repeated enum
comparisons. Update source generator to emit code using these flags.
Add AcBinarySerializer.ScanOnly for isolated scan benchmarking.
Set MaxDepth in test options. Improves performance and maintainability.
Switch from caching next entry object to caching VisitIndex for write plan tracking in binary serialization. Updates TryConsumeWritePlanEntry and related logic for improved simplicity and performance. Comments revised to match new approach.
Pre-compute InternBit and reference handling flags in context to avoid repeated field access and shifting. Refactor all intern mode checks to use InternBit, improving performance and code clarity in generated code, property accessors, and scan/write passes. Optimize write plan entry access for faster serialization.
Refactored EmitReadString to use a switch for O(1) dispatch of string wire formats, improving performance and clarity. Updated comments to document the new approach and its benefits. Removed the UseGeneratedCode property from AcBinarySerializerOptions.
Optimized AcBinarySourceGenerator to emit direct code for dictionary property serialization and scanning. Added PropInfo fields for dictionary value type metadata, scan requirements, and FNV-1a hashes. Specialized code now handles string interning, complex value reference tracking, and metadata inline, reducing runtime overhead and improving performance. Fallback to runtime methods only for unsupported types.
Enable optimized codegen for Dictionary<TKey, TValue> and IDictionary<TKey, TValue> properties. The generator now analyzes key/value types and emits direct binary read loops for primitive, string, enum, and complex types with generated readers. PropInfo is extended with dictionary metadata. Improves performance and type safety by eliminating reflection and runtime type dispatch for supported dictionary types. Also refactors collection reading logic and updates dependency graph and scanning for dictionary value types.
Added compile-time cycle detection for [AcBinarySerializable] types in AcBinarySourceGenerator, reporting ACBIN001 warnings to guide reference handling. Increased depth increment for nested serialization to improve max depth enforcement. Refactored collection element depth checks for clarity. Updated tests to conditionally assign Parent and commented out a redundant assertion. Simplified slot bounds check in AcSerializerContextBase.
Detect circular references at compile time in source gen
Added DFS-based cycle detection to AcBinarySourceGenerator, reporting ACBIN001 warnings for circular reference chains among [AcBinarySerializable] types. Increased depth increment for nested serialization from +1 to +2 to improve handling of deep/circular structures. Adjusted null-check logic for collections to respect MaxDepth. Updated tests to conditionally set circular references and commented out assertions for Parent when not applicable. Minor slot bounds check fix in AcSerializerContextBase.
Changed AcBinarySerializerOptions defaults: UseMetadata is now false, UseGeneratedCode is now true. Improved IId reference tests by adding UseMetadata option, new null and reference identity assertions, and refactored assertion order for clarity. These changes ensure more robust test coverage and align default serializer behavior with expected usage.
Refactor test methods to use [DataRow] for parameterized testing of UseSgen and UseMeta combinations. Dynamically set AcBinarySerializerOptions in tests and add diagnostic output. Swap default values in AcBinarySerializerOptions: UseMetadata is now true, UseGeneratedCode is now false. This affects default serializer behavior across tests and usages.
- Emit special serialization logic for properties declared as System.Object, using value.GetType() and writing type name metadata for correct polymorphic deserialization.
- Add IsObjectDeclaredType to PropInfo to support this logic.
- Update scan pass to use runtime type for object properties.
- Adjust IId reference test to ensure circular reference coverage.
- Default UseGeneratedCode to true in serializer options.
Enable serialization of runtime type info for System.Object properties using new ObjectWithTypeName markers. Serializer now writes the runtime type name inline; deserializer resolves and instantiates the correct type. Added IsObjectDeclaredType property for detection, refactored WriteObject methods, and registered new deserialization logic. This ensures robust polymorphic (de)serialization even without metadata. Also includes minor cleanup of unused usings.
Introduce new test models for circular refs, update tests to stress reference handling, and enhance deserializer to support ObjectRefFirst/WithMetadataRefFirst type codes. Fix intern cache index assignment, track generated readers in TypeMetadataWrapper, and disable UseGeneratedCode by default. Update benchmarks for reliability and diagnostics. These changes strengthen reference resolution, circular ref support, and performance.
- Refined collection kind mapping: IList<T>/IReadOnlyList<T> now treated as "IndexedCollection" for codegen, distinct from List<T>
- Generated code uses CollectionsMarshal.AsSpan for List<T> iteration, improving performance
- Updated generated read/write logic for collections to match new distinctions
- Added System.Runtime.InteropServices to generated code for span support
- Increased test iteration count in Program.cs for more robust benchmarks
- Enabled source-generated binary serialization for all test models by setting [AcBinarySerializable(true)]
Added capacity-check-free "unsafe" write methods to BinarySerializationContext for all primitive and specialized types, plus ReserveCapacity for bulk writes. Introduced MinWriteSize property in BinarySerializeTypeMetadata to precompute worst-case buffer requirements per type. Improved documentation and added Copilot instructions to discourage code removal as a solution.
Introduced source-generated binary readers for all serializable types, alongside writers. Added IGeneratedBinaryReader interface and registry for fast lookup in deserializer. Generated readers eliminate runtime overhead by directly reading properties, bypassing wrapper and delegate calls. Updated test models to disable metadata for markerless mode. Integrated fast path in deserializer for improved performance.
Refactored binary serializer to use a single wrapper slot per SGen type for both metadata registration and reference tracking. Removed slot-based IdentityMap arrays and scan pass tracking methods, replacing them with wrapper-based TryTrack logic. Updated generated code to use wrapper slots for all slot-based operations. Changed UseMetadata registration to use a MetadataSeen flag on the wrapper. Added fast slot-indexed wrapper access in context base. Default UseMetadata option is now false. Simplifies and optimizes SGen tracking, reducing dictionary lookups and unifying tracking logic.
- Set `[AcBinarySerializable(true)]` on all SharedTestModels types
- Default `UseMetadata` to true for property hash footer
- Reset slotted ID maps and cache indices in serializer context
- Reduce test iterations for DEBUG builds to speed up runs
- Add debug comments in context `Clear()` method
Added compile-time scan requirement flags to SerializableClassInfo and PropInfo, and implemented recursive analysis to determine if scan work is needed for reference tracking and string interning. Updated code generation to emit scan code only when necessary, with runtime guards based on compile-time analysis. Changed AcBinarySerializerOptions.UseMetadata default to false. Increased JIT wait in Program.cs for more reliable benchmarking. These changes reduce unnecessary scan calls and improve performance.
Adds EnableMetadataFeature to [AcBinarySerializable], allowing types to opt out of inline metadata even when global UseMetadata is enabled. Source generator, serializer, and deserializer now respect this flag for child and element types. Default UseMetadata is set to true. Enables fine-grained control over serialization overhead and compatibility.
AcBinarySourceGenerator now reads feature flags from [AcBinarySerializable], enabling selective code generation for ID tracking, reference handling, and string interning. Property ordering is always alphabetical, removing "Id"-first sorting for IId types. Reference tracking code is only emitted when features are enabled. TypeMetadataBase and AcBinarySerializer runtime logic now respect these flags. Default options updated: ReferenceHandlingMode is All, UseMetadata is false. Test models explicitly disable all features. Comments and code structure improved for clarity.
Implements a fully source-generated scan pass for duplicate/reference tracking in SGen binary serialization. The generator now emits ScanObject and ScanForDuplicates methods for each writer, handling null/depth checks, slot-based ref tracking (by Id or object hash), and recursive property scanning (strings, complex types, collections). String interning and reference tracking are feature-flagged via attributes. The runtime scan path now delegates to generated code when available, eliminating reflection and delegate overhead. Adds slot-based IdentityMap arrays to the serialization context for efficient duplicate detection. Also updates metadata, attributes, and test stubs to support these features.
Implements inline type metadata emission in the source generator, matching runtime TypeMetadataBase. Computes FNV-1a hashes for type and property names, stores them in generated code, and emits metadata when UseMetadata is enabled. Adds per-type slot allocation and tracking for first/repeated metadata writes. Removes runtime fallback for UseMetadata, ensuring all logic is handled inline. Updates property filtering/order to match runtime, and optimizes Int32/Int64 skip logic. Thread-safe slot allocation is used for metadata tracking.
Improve generated serialization code to match runtime behavior for metadata emission and reference tracking. Markerless types now respect UseMetadata, ensuring type markers are written when required. Ref tracking guards for IId and non-IId types are unified to match scan pass logic. Generated writers are always used when available. Default UseMetadata is now true for consistent metadata output.
- Generate writers for nested types using flat class names (Outer_Inner_Leaf) to ensure uniqueness and validity.
- Apply property filters in generated code for all non-markerless properties, matching runtime behavior.
- Emit skip labels for each property in generated code for correct control flow.
- Remove PropertyFilter check from IsDirectObjectWrite; generated code now handles filtering.
- Change default ReferenceHandlingMode to All.
- Make BinaryPropertyFilterContext constructor public.
- Increase release warmup iterations in Program.cs from 3000 to 5000.
All FastWire-related code paths, fields, and options have been commented out in both AcBinarySerializer and AcBinaryDeserializer. This removes support for fixed-width integer and UTF-16 encoding, forcing the use of compact VarInt and UTF-8 encoding exclusively. The WireMode option is also commented out, so FastWire can no longer be selected. This change reduces output size and simplifies the codebase, but may impact serialization/deserialization speed for some scenarios.
Introduces a WireMode enum to select between Compact (VarInt + UTF-8) and Fast (fixed-width + UTF-16) wire formats for binary serialization. Updates AcBinarySerializerOptions to include a WireMode property (default: Fast). Serialization and deserialization logic now conditionally uses fixed-width or variable-length encoding for integers and strings based on the selected mode, enabling a tradeoff between output size and performance.
Extend serializer/deserializer to efficiently handle arrays and lists of short, ushort, uint, ulong, sbyte, char, DateTimeOffset, and TimeSpan. Improve enum collection handling and support ICollection-based collections. Update source generator to distinguish between indexable and counted collections, generating optimal serialization code for each. These changes enhance performance and coverage for a broader range of collection types.
Enhance AcBinarySourceGenerator to emit direct write loops for List<T>/T[] where T is a complex type with a generated writer. This bypasses per-element runtime dispatch, improving serialization performance. PropInfo now tracks collection element metadata, enabling this optimization. Falls back to generic handling for other cases.
- Always write length prefix before ASCII and UTF-8 strings in AcBinarySerializer for consistency and correctness.
- Increase release warmup iterations from 2000 to 3000 in Program.cs.
Introduces direct object write mode in source-generated binary serialization, allowing generated writers to bypass the runtime WriteObject pipeline for eligible complex properties. Adds detection of generated writer presence and IId<T> implementation, inlines reference tracking logic, and replaces .GetType() with typeof() for type safety. String interning attribute detection and precomputed interning flags ensure safe cursor alignment. Expands PropInfo structure and enables fast path for all generated writers. Improves serialization performance, correctness, and reduces runtime overhead. Adds new web fetch domains to settings.
Add WriteObjectGenerated to AcBinarySerializer for direct, efficient serialization of complex objects in source-generated code. Update AcBinarySourceGenerator to use this method, including proper handling of nullable properties, to reduce runtime overhead and avoid unnecessary type dispatch.
Refactor AcBinarySerializer to use ReadOnlySpan<T> for bulk writing of primitive arrays and List<T>, replacing multiple specialized methods with a single TryWritePrimitiveCollection. This improves efficiency and reduces code duplication. Change default string interning mode to Attribute (opt-in). Update generated code path to allow reference tracking but not string interning. Adjust benchmarks to test correct serializer options. Reorder options for clarity.
- Integrated MemoryPack as a serializer in the benchmark suite
- Added [MemoryPackable] and [MemoryPackIgnore] to test models
- Enabled AcBinary source generation by default
- Updated benchmark app to include MemoryPack and focus on key serializers
- Added MemoryPack NuGet references to projects
- Refactored AcBinarySerializer.WriteString flag handling
Introduce [AcStringIntern] for selective string interning on properties. Update serializer to use a per-property eligibility flag, improving efficiency and control over which string fields participate in interning during binary serialization. Update test models and internal context accordingly.
Implement write plan mechanism for string interning and IId object reference tracking. Scan pass now builds pre-computed WriteDuplicateEntry instructions, eliminating hot path IdentityMap lookups and redundant getter calls in the write pass. Update BinarySerializationContext, tracking visit indices and managing write plan array. Refactor ScanInternString and TryTrack methods to record visit indices and build write instructions for all duplicate occurrences. Update write pass logic to consume write plan entries. Add debug validation for scan/write pass order. Update benchmarks and test harness. Set UseGeneratedCode default to false. Improves performance for scenarios with interning and reference tracking.
Extend markerless serialization to Boolean and Enum types in AcBinarySourceGenerator and generated writers. Updated IsMarkerlessType and EmitMarkerlessWrite to handle these types directly. Refactored generated code to write DateTime, int, enum, and decimal properties without type markers or property skip checks. Simplified OnStringInterned debug callback in AcBinarySerializer. These changes reduce serialization overhead and improve performance for supported types.
Improves binary serializer/deserializer performance by adding fast-path handling for boolean and enum properties, mapping their type codes directly for efficient read/write. Introduces a fast ASCII-only string decoding path for short strings, bypassing UTF8 overhead. Refactors array/list population to reduce redundant marker reads. Also applies aggressive inlining to core populate logic for further speedup.
Refactored AcBinaryDeserializer to read the type code marker byte only once per property, eliminating redundant PeekByte/ReadByte calls and improving efficiency. Updated all property population branches to use the already-consumed type code. Adjusted handling of nested complex objects to rewind the marker byte when needed. Modified TryReadAndSetTypedValue to assume the marker is already consumed, removing unnecessary reads. Exception messages now report the actual type code read.
Added UseGeneratedCode option (default true) to AcBinarySerializerOptions and exposed it in the serialization context. The generated code fast path is now gated by this option, allowing users to enable or disable source-generated serialization. These changes improve deserialization performance, code clarity, and configurability.
Update WriteValueGenerated to require non-null values and call WriteValueNonPrimitive directly, clarifying its use for complex types in generated writers. Improve XML docs to reflect new behavior and intent.
Refactor source generator to emit per-type IGeneratedBinaryWriter classes for [AcBinarySerializable] types, with auto-registration at startup. Integrate generated writers into AcBinarySerializer for direct, delegate-free property writing, bypassing the runtime property loop when possible. Add registry, bridge methods, and update TypeMetadataWrapper for fast lookup. Expand tests to verify generated writers and round-trip correctness. This enables major serialization performance gains and reduces code size for supported types.
Introduce JitDisassemblyBenchmark for analyzing JIT-generated x64 assembly of AcBinarySerializer hot paths, accessible via --jitasm. Refactor string interning logic to support per-property and string collection interning, adding IsStringCollectionProperty and ScanStringCollection. Update ScanPass and WriteString for finer-grained control. Remove DEBUG-only CurrentPropertyPath in favor of a more robust property tracking approach. Update usage instructions and clean up related code.
- Respect both global and property-level [AcStringIntern] settings for string interning
- Add UseStringPropertyInterning method and flag-based caching in property accessors for fast runtime checks
- Update scan and write passes to use property-level interning decisions
- Introduce FilteredReferenceProperties for efficient scan filtering in TypeMetadataWrapper
- Refactor benchmarks to use correct serializer options
- Add TODOs and minor cleanups for clarity and future improvements
Pre-caches TypeMetadataWrapper instances for complex properties,
eliminating repeated GetWrapper dictionary lookups in serialization
and deserialization. Adds ComplexPropertyIndex and ComplexPropertyCount
fields, and PropertyTypeWrappers array to TypeMetadataWrapper. Refactors
scan, write, and populate passes to use cached wrappers, improving
performance for deep and polymorphic object graphs. Updates benchmarks
to focus on FastMode variants. No breaking changes; internal efficiency
improved.
- Refactor collection scan to pre-cache element wrappers and optimize ScanItem for polymorphic types
- Add DisableStringCaching to deserializer; call it on first interned string marker
- Update benchmarks to restore default and no-ref variants, clarify string interning options
- Ensure property scanning respects property filters, skipping filtered properties
Refactored Populate<T>(byte[], T) to add null checks, early returns, and proper context management. Added PopulateMerge<T>(byte[], T) for merge semantics with IId collections, including merge mode and orphaned item removal.
Refactored deserialization to use IBinaryInputBase abstraction, supporting both ArrayBinaryInput (byte[]) and SequenceBinaryInput (ReadOnlySequence<byte>). All context and methods are now generic over TInput, enabling zero-copy for arrays and true streaming for multi-segment sources. Internal logic (ReadValue, Populate, Skip, etc.) is specialized per input type, improving performance and flexibility. This enables future extensibility for other input sources and optimizes handling of large or segmented payloads.
Eliminate BinaryDeserializationContextClass and merge all buffer, pooling, and cache logic into a single sealed BinaryDeserializationContext. All pooling and state management is now handled directly by the context, reducing allocations and indirection. All deserialization entry points and internal logic are updated to use the new context class and pool. String interning, metadata, and array pooling are now managed within the unified context, improving performance and maintainability.
Removed Newtonsoft.Json from benchmarks and codebase. Added AcBinaryBufferWriterBenchmark using ArrayBufferWriter and AcBinarySerializer's buffer writer API. Optimized WriteStringUtf8 for ASCII fast path. Improved ArrayBinaryOutput buffer reuse and memory management. Introduced Reset method to IBinaryOutputBase and implemented it in outputs. Streamlined serializer benchmarks to focus on AcBinary and System.Text.Json.
Major serialization pipeline refactor: all hot-path buffer and position management is now owned by BinarySerializationContext<TOutput>, with all write methods inlined for zero virtual dispatch. TOutput (now struct, IBinaryOutputBase) handles only cold-path buffer management (Initialize, Grow, GetTotalPosition). ArrayBinaryOutput and BufferWriterBinaryOutput are simplified to buffer managers. IBinaryOutput and BinaryOutputBase are removed. All serialization logic now uses context write methods (~130 call sites updated). This yields significant performance gains by eliminating virtual/interface calls on the serialization hot path.
Loretta