PROPRDB (PROtobuf PackRat DataBase)

proprdb is the third iteration of a "personal stuff database" concept.

• prdb (2014-2019, Python, still in personal use, not open source)
• sdb (used in https://timeatlaslabs.com since 2024, not open source)

Caveat emptor

This software is primarily for my own use and due to that there is not much of a compatibility guarantee across versions. The SQLite database should be backwards (but not forwards) compatible, and JSONL format should be constant, but the generated code (and runtime it refers to) may change drastically even in minor versions. Patch versions should be backwards compatible, and I don't think this will ever have major version different than zero as I hobby projects of mine don't roll that way.

Documentation

• Design and data model
• Runtime behavior
• Protobuf options and code generation

Scalar fields and explicitly selected nested message paths can be projected into indexed SQL columns in Go, Swift, and Rust. Missing parents remain SQL NULL; initialization backfills existing objects without changing their protobuf payloads or sync timestamps. See projection options.

Named hash projections fingerprint selected protobuf fields, including complete nested messages, repeated values, and maps, without exposing their contents as SQL columns. Dirty-key trackers can watch these eight-byte XXH3-64 fingerprints to skip metadata-only edits. See hash projections.

Getting started

Prerequisites:

• Go 1.27+
• SQLite 3.35+ for projection removal
• Rust (edition 2024), Cargo, and protoc for the Rust target
• Swift 6.2+ on macOS; Swift 6.2+ or Podman on Linux
• SQLite development headers when using native Swift on Linux

The Makefile routes Swift tools through scripts/swift-tool. It uses an installed toolchain when available and otherwise builds and runs a Podman image on Linux. The image includes Swift, SQLite development headers, and Go for the interoperability tests. Container build artifacts and caches persist in named volumes per checkout, separately from native .build artifacts. Native command failures are reported directly; they do not trigger a container retry.

The wrapper also supports direct commands, for example ./scripts/swift-tool swift --version or ./scripts/swift-tool swiftc --version. Protobuf generation uses scripts/protoc-gen-swift through the same wrapper.

Commands:

make test
make lint

Rust bindings use Prost and the runtime in rt/rust. Build the plugin with make protoc-gen-proprdb-rust and run its integration tests with make rust-test. See Rust code generation for usage and the current feature coverage.