cindel 0.5.3

Ultra-fast, lightweight NoSQL local database for Flutter and Dart apps, powered by a compact Rust native core.

Cindel Database

Fast local database for Flutter and Dart apps, powered by a generated Dart API and a compact Rust native core.

Quickstart | Features | CRUD | Queries | Watchers | Native Binaries

Cindel is a Flutter-first local database with typed collections, generated schemas, MDBX storage by default, and SQLite available only when requested.

Status

Cindel is in active pre-1.0 development. The API and storage format can still change before a stable release. New projects should treat old preview database files as disposable while the optimized native format settles.

Features

• Typed collections generated from regular Dart model classes.
• Rust native core behind Dart FFI.
• MDBX default backend with SQLite as an explicit secondary backend.
• Native auto-increment ids.
• Bulk writes, reads, updates, and deletes.
• Indexed equality, range, prefix, unique, hash, case-insensitive, word-token, composite, and primitive-list queries.
• Filter builders, sorting, pagination, distinct, property projections, and property aggregates.
• Explicit read and write transactions.
• Document, collection, object, query, and lazy watchers.
• Embedded objects and embedded object lists.
• In-memory databases for tests.
• Schema metadata and compatible additive schema version bumps.

Quickstart

1. Add dependencies

For Flutter apps, add Cindel plus the native library package:

dependencies:
  cindel: ^0.5.3
  cindel_flutter_libs: ^0.5.3

dev_dependencies:
  build_runner: ^2.15.0
  cindel_generator: ^0.5.3

Pure Dart projects can depend on cindel directly and provide a native library path with CINDEL_NATIVE_LIBRARY when needed.

2. Create a collection

import 'package:cindel/cindel.dart';

part 'user.g.dart';

@Collection(name: 'users')
class User {
  Id id = autoIncrement;

  @Index(unique: true)
  late String email;

  @index
  late String name;

  bool active = true;

  DateTime createdAt = DateTime.now().toUtc();
}

3. Generate code

dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs

4. Open a database

final db = await Cindel.open(
  directory: directory.path,
  schemas: [UserSchema],
);

MDBX is the default backend. SQLite is available only when requested explicitly:

final db = await Cindel.open(
  directory: directory.path,
  schemas: [UserSchema],
  backend: CindelStorageBackend.sqlite,
);

For tests and short-lived work:

final db = await Cindel.openInMemory(schemas: [UserSchema]);

CRUD

Generated collections are available directly from the database handle:

final jhon = User()
  ..name = 'Jhon Doe'
  ..email = '[e-mail]'
  ..active = true;

await db.users.put(jhon);

final saved = await db.users.get(jhon.id);

await db.users.delete(jhon.id);

Bulk operations use native batch paths:

final maria = User()
  ..name = 'Maria Cruz'
  ..email = '[e-mail]';

final taylor = User()
  ..name = 'Taylor Reed'
  ..email = '[e-mail]';

await db.users.putMany([jhon, maria, taylor]);

final users = await db.users.getAll([jhon.id, maria.id, 404]);

await db.users.deleteAll([jhon.id, maria.id]);

Use transactions when multiple operations must commit together:

await db.writeTxn(() async {
  await db.users.put(jhon);
  await db.users.put(maria);
});

final activeUsers = await db.readTxn(() {
  return db.users.filter().activeEqualTo(true).findAll();
});

Queries

Generated query builders start from indexed where clauses or collection filters:

final jhon = await db.users
    .where()
    .emailEqualTo('[e-mail]')
    .findFirst();

final activeUsers = await db.users
    .filter()
    .activeEqualTo(true)
    .sortByName()
    .findAll();

String indexes get prefix helpers:

final people = await db.users.where().nameStartsWith('Jh').findAll();

Queries support counts, deletes, pagination, distinct values, property projections, and aggregates:

final count = await db.users.filter().activeEqualTo(true).count();

final names = await db.users
    .filter()
    .activeEqualTo(true)
    .sortByName()
    .distinctByEmail()
    .nameProperty()
    .findAll();

final maxId = await db.users.all().idProperty().max();

The lower-level manual document API remains available:

await db.put('users', 1, {
  'name': 'Jhon Doe',
  'email': '[e-mail]',
  'active': true,
});

final document = await db.get('users', 1);

Watchers

Cindel watchers expose Dart streams for objects, collections, queries, and manual documents:

final sub = db.users
    .filter()
    .activeEqualTo(true)
    .sortByName()
    .watch()
    .listen((users) {
      // Rebuild visible state.
    });

Lazy watchers emit only an invalidation signal:

final sub = db.users.watchCollectionLazy().listen((_) {
  // Refresh cached state.
});

Embedded Objects

Use @Embedded for value objects stored inside a parent collection document:

@Collection(name: 'emails')
class Email {
  Id id = autoIncrement;

  String? subject;

  Recipient? sender;
}

@Embedded()
class Recipient {
  String? name;
  String? address;
}

Supported Platforms

The current package line ships prebuilt Flutter libraries for Android, Windows, and Linux through cindel_flutter_libs.

iOS and macOS are planned but are not advertised as supported until their native binaries are generated and validated.

Native Binaries

Flutter apps should depend on cindel_flutter_libs so the native runtime is bundled automatically.

When testing a custom local build, set CINDEL_NATIVE_LIBRARY to an absolute path before running Dart tests or tools:

$env:CINDEL_NATIVE_LIBRARY = 'D:\path\to\cindel_native.dll'

Unit Tests

Use in-memory databases for fast tests:

final db = await Cindel.openInMemory(schemas: [UserSchema]);
addTearDown(db.close);

License

Cindel is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the repository license file for details.