Struct Frame

Why Struct Frame

Zero-copy C/C++

Uses packed structs that map directly to memory. No encoding or decoding step required.

Flexible framing

Multiple frame profiles for different scenarios, from zero-overhead trusted links to robust multi-node networks.

Nested messages & arrays

Unlike Mavlink, supports complex message structures with nested messages and variable-length packing for arrays.

Cross-platform

Generate code for embedded C, server Python, and frontend TypeScript from a single proto definition.

Installation

pip install struct-frame

Quick Start

Create a .proto file:

package example;

message Status {
  option msgid = 1;
  uint32 id = 1;
  float value = 2;
}

Generate code:

# Python
python -m struct_frame status.proto --build_py --py_path generated/

# C
python -m struct_frame status.proto --build_c --c_path generated/

# Multiple languages
python -m struct_frame status.proto --build_c --build_py --build_ts

Quick Language Reference

C++

#include "example.structframe.hpp"

// Create a message
ExampleStatus msg;
msg.id = 42;
msg.value = 3.14f;

// No encoding needed - use directly as bytes
uint8_t* data = (uint8_t*)&msg;
size_t size = sizeof(ExampleStatus);

Python

from struct_frame.generated.example import ExampleStatus

# Create a message
msg = ExampleStatus(id=42, value=3.14)

# Serialize to bytes
data = msg.pack()

TypeScript

import { ExampleStatus } from './example.structframe';

// Create a message
const msg = new ExampleStatus();
msg.id = 42;
msg.value = 3.14;

// Get binary data
const data = msg.data();

C

#include "example.structframe.h"

// Create a message
ExampleStatus msg = { .id = 42, .value = 3.14f };

// Use directly as bytes
uint8_t* data = (uint8_t*)&msg;
size_t size = sizeof(ExampleStatus);

Quick Links

Quick Start Complete walkthrough with C++ example

Message Definitions Learn proto file syntax

Language Examples See detailed examples for each language

CLI Reference All command-line options