Universal Serialization
This page is a legacy design reference from the pre-refactor architecture.
Serialization is not a standalone Shield core module in the current refactor boundary. Only the minimum encoding needed by net, transport, data, and Lua bindings should remain in the runtime core.
Current Refactor Decision
- Do not expose a broad universal serialization framework as core API.
- Do not make Protobuf / MessagePack / custom serializer registration part of the initial Lua-first runtime contract.
- Keep payload representation simple until the
shield.*Lua API is stable. - Revisit schema and binary protocol tooling later as optional extensions.
Historical Notes
The previous architecture explored JSON, Protobuf, MessagePack, type traits, and format auto-detection. Those ideas may still be useful for future protocol or schema work, but they must not expand the current runtime boundary.
For current design decisions, read: