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Sinch.MessageEncoder

Sinch.MessageEncoder is a lightweight C# library for encoding message objects into a compact binary format. It was designed as a proof-of-concept to explore custom binary serialization for "messages" (with headers and payloads) in a Sinch context. The project is lightweight and fast, aiming to pack data efficiently for transport or storage.

Note
This project was originally created as part of a recruitment exercise, and it was left a bit unfinished when the recruitment process ended.
After some digging, it turned out this encoder behaves fairly similar to MessagePack (but without any fancy code-generation features). 😉 Please do your own research!

Project Structure

  • src/Sinch.MessageEncoder – Core library with encoder logic.
  • src/Sinch.MessageEncoder.PoC – Proof-of-concept console app showcasing basic usage.
  • src/Benchmarks/Sinch.MessageEncoder.Benchmarks – Benchmark project using BenchmarkDotNet.
  • src/Tests/Sinch.MessageEncoder.MessageBuilder.Tests – Unit tests for the message builder.
  • src/Tests/Sinch.MessageEncoder.CustomMessages.Tests – Unit tests for custom message classes.

Features

  • Message Schema with Attributes – Easy message class definitions with [SerializationOrder] and [MessageType].
  • Headers & Payload Model – Clean separation between headers and payloads.
  • Fluent Builder API – Chain calls to build messages easily.
  • Custom Serialization Support – Plug in custom serializers per property.
  • Efficiency Focus – Span-based operations for maximum performance.
  • Minimal Dependencies – Built on pure .NET without heavy libraries.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Build the Solution

dotnet build Sinch.MessageEncoder.sln

Or open Sinch.MessageEncoder.sln in Visual Studio 2022+ and build.

Run the PoC

dotnet run --project src/Sinch.MessageEncoder.PoC/Sinch.MessageEncoder.PoC.csproj

Or set Sinch.MessageEncoder.PoC as your startup project in Visual Studio.

Run the Tests

dotnet test Sinch.MessageEncoder.sln

Or run them through Visual Studio's Test Explorer.

Run Benchmarks

cd src/Benchmarks/Sinch.MessageEncoder.Benchmarks
dotnet run -c Release

(Always run benchmarks in Release mode for valid results.)

Usage Example

using Sinch.MessageEncoder;
using Sinch.MessageEncoder.Builders;
using Sinch.MessageEncoder.Messages.Default.Text;

var builder = MessageBuilder<DefaultTextMessageHeaders, DefaultTextMessagePayload>.CreateBuilder();

var messageBytes = builder
    .From(1)
    .To(2)
    .Timestamp(DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeSeconds())
    .MsgType(1)
    .AddHeader("sender-name", "Alice")
    .AddHeader("recipient-name", "Bob")
    .EndHeaders()
    .AddPayloadProperty(nameof(DefaultTextMessagePayload.TextMessageBody), "Hello, world!")
    .GetBinary();

Now messageBytes contains the serialized message ready for transport or storage!

Note: The library focuses mainly on serialization for now. Full deserialization support would require a bit more work.

Contributing

Contributions, ideas, and improvements are welcome!
Feel free to fork the project, create a branch, and open a pull request. 🚀

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.
See the LICENSE file for details.