kaitai-io/kaitai_struct
Kaitai Struct
Kaitai Struct is a framework for declarative binary specification that provides automated parser and serializer generation across multiple programming languages. It uses a portable, domain-specific language to describe the layout of binary files and network packets, converting these specifications into source code for reading and writing binary data.
The system enables cross-language data processing by translating a single structural definition into native source code for languages including C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, and Rust. This approach allows the same binary data specification to be implemented across different platforms without manually rewriting parsing logic.
The framework covers binary data modeling and processing, including the ability to manage read pointers for offset navigation and apply data transformations such as decompression and decryption. It also provides tools for format specification debugging to validate the mapping between binary data layouts and their declarative descriptions.
Features
- Parser Generators - Automatically generates binary data parser source code for multiple languages from a declarative format specification.
- Binary Buffer Parsing - Provides the capability to parse raw binary data from files and network packets using declarative definitions.
- Binary Schema Definitions - Allows developers to create portable binary schema definitions for file and network packet formats.
- Serializer Generators - Converts declarative data specifications into source code that writes structured data back to binary streams.
- Binary Format Definition Languages - Implements a portable domain-specific language for describing binary file and network packet layouts.
- Domain Specific Languages - Provides a custom domain-specific language for describing binary data layouts without writing imperative parsing logic.
- Binary Format Specifications - Creates portable, declarative descriptions of binary data layouts that serve as a reference across different platforms.
- Cross-Language Binary Parsing Frameworks - Provides consistent binary data decoding capabilities for C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, and Rust.
- Multi-Language Code Generators - Generates native source code for multiple target languages from a single structural binary specification.
- Read Pointer Navigation - Tracks the current byte position and allows jumping to absolute offsets to access non-sequential binary data.
- Offset-Based Addressing - Provides mechanisms for navigating binary blobs using absolute and relative byte offsets via a read pointer.
- Binary Format Visualizers - Provides visualizers to validate that the described binary structure correctly maps to the actual raw data.
- Cross-Language Implementations - Ensures binary data parsing parity across multiple programming languages by using a shared specification.
- Data Transformation Pipelines - Implements multi-stage processing pipelines to handle binary data transformations such as decompression and decryption.
- Byte Stream Transformations - Processes byte arrays through XOR, rotation, and Zlib decompression to decode compressed or obfuscated content.
Star history
How this analysis was created: This summary and feature list are AI-generated from collected project material and can contain mistakes. Stars, license and language are imported from GitHub. Inclusion does not mean that we have tested or audited this project. Check the source documentation for any feature you depend on. Learn more on our About page.
