Overview

The primary unit of information in brec is a packet (Packet) — a ready-to-transmit message with a unique signature (allowing it to be recognized within mixed data) and a CRC to ensure data integrity.

A packet consists of a set of blocks (Block) and, optionally, a payload (Payload).

Blocks (Block) are the minimal units of information in the brec system. A block can contain only primitives, such as numbers, boolean values, and byte slices. A block serves as a kind of packet index, allowing for quick determination of whether a packet requires full processing (i.e., parsing the Payload) or can be ignored.

The payload (Payload) is an optional part of the packet. Unlike blocks (Block), it has no restrictions on the type of data it can contain—it can be a struct or enum of any complexity and nesting level.

Unlike most protocols, brec does not require users to define a fixed set of messages but does require them to describe blocks (Block) and payload data (Payload).

Users can construct packets (messages) by combining various sets of blocks and payloads. This means brec does not impose a predefined list of packets (Packet) within the protocol but allows them to be defined dynamically. As a result, the same block and/or payload can be used across multiple packets (messages) without any restrictions.