Skip to content
Bebop Docs

Getting started (TypeScript)

Getting Started with Bebop in TypeScript

Bebop is a high-performance serialization framework designed for efficient data transfer. This guide will walk you through setting up Bebop in your TypeScript project, creating schemas, and using the generated code.

Installation

First, let’s install the necessary packages:

PackageDownloads
bebopbebop
bebop-toolsbebop-tools

Install Bebop Runtime

Terminal window
npm add bebop

Install Bebop Compiler

Terminal window
npm add bebop-tools

Project Initialization

Initialize your Bebop project:

Terminal window
npx bebopc init

This command creates a bebop.json file in your project root. Open this file and add a TypeScript generator:

{
   "include": [
     "**/*.bop"
   ],
   "generators": {
    "ts": {
        "outFile": "src/bops.gen.ts"
    }
   }
}

This configuration tells Bebop to:

  • Include all .bop files in your project
  • Generate TypeScript code
  • Output the generated code to src/bops.gen.ts

Creating Bebop Schemas

Bebop uses its own schema language to define data structures. Create a new file with a .bop extension (e.g., schemas.bop) and define your schemas:

struct Person {
  string name;
  uint32 age;
}


struct Team {
  string name;
  Person[] members;
}

Generating TypeScript Code

After defining your schemas, generate the TypeScript code:

Terminal window
npx bebopc build

This command will generate TypeScript code based on your Bebop schemas.

Using Generated Code

Now you can use the generated code in your TypeScript project. Here’s an example of how to create and encode a Person object:

import { Person } from './src/bops.gen';


const person = new Person({
    name: "Spike Spiegel",
    age: 27
});


// Encode the person object to a Uint8Array
const encoded = person.encode();


// Decode the Uint8Array back to a Person object
const decoded = Person.decode(encoded);


console.log(decoded.name); // Output: Spike Spiegel
console.log(decoded.age);  // Output: 27

JSON Serialization (JSON-Over-Bebop)

Bebop supports JSON serialization using JSON-Over-Bebop. This format allows for efficient serialization and deserialization of Bebop objects to and from JSON.

For more information on JSON-Over-Bebop, refer to the JSON-Over-Bebop specification.

Here’s how to use JSON serialization:

// Serialize to JSON-Over-Bebop
const jsonString = person.stringify();


// Deserialize from JSON-Over-Bebop
const fromJson = Person.fromJSON(jsonString);