Getting Started • Documentation • Example Apps • Issues

Swift Database - swiftly persist objects on iOS & macOS

Powerful & superfast database for Swift that's also easy to use. Persist Swift objects quickly and reliably on-device on iOS and macOS.

Demo code

let santa = Person(firstName: "Santa", lastName: "Claus")
try personBox.put(santa)

let query: Query<Person> = personBox.query {
    return (Person.firstName.contains("Santa") || Person.age > 100)
           && Person.lastName.isEqual(to: "Claus") 
}.build()
let oldClauses = query.find()

Want details? Read the guides or check out the API docs.

Table of Contents

• Why use ObjectBox for Swift data persistence?
  • Features
• Adding ObjectBox to your project
  • New to CocoaPods?
  • CocoaPods troubleshooting
  • Swift Versions
• Example
• Background: code generation
• Source code
• Already using ObjectBox?
• Cross-platform database: Mobile, Desktop, Browser, Embedded, IoT
• License

Why use ObjectBox for Swift data persistence?

Simple but powerful; frugal but fast: The ObjectBox NoSQL database offers an intuitive Swift API that's easy to pick up, fun to work with, and incredibly fast, making it sustainable in many ways. Its frugal recource use (CPU, memory, battery / power) makes ObjectBox an ideal and sustainable choice for iOS apps. So why not give it a try right away? Check out the installation section below. You can also star this repository for later 🌟

On top, ObjectBox comes with an out-of-the-box Data Sync handling the complexity of occassionally connected devices, networking and conflict resolution code for you. Build apps that reliably sync between devices and any backend, offline on-premise or online with the Cloud.

Features

🏁 High performance on restricted devices, like IoT gateways, micro controllers, ECUs etc.
💚 Resourceful with minimal CPU, power and Memory usage for maximum flexibility and sustainability
🔗 Relations: object links / relationships are built-in
💻 Multiplatform: Linux, Windows, Android, iOS, macOS

🌱 Scalable: handling millions of objects resource-efficiently with ease
💐 Queries: filter data as needed, even across relations
🦮 Statically typed: compile time checks & optimizations
📃 Automatic schema migrations: no update scripts needed

And much more than just data persistence
👥 ObjectBox Sync: keeps data in sync between devices and servers
🕒 ObjectBox TS: time series extension for time based data

Adding ObjectBox to your project

CocoaPods is recommended to set up ObjectBox in your project. See the installation docs for alternative setups, or the New to CocoaPods? section below for a quick intro. To install the ObjectBox pod, add the following line to your Podfile:

  pod 'ObjectBox'

Then run this to install the ObjectBox framework:

cd /path/to/your/project/folder/ # whatever folder your Podfile is in.
pod install
Pods/ObjectBox/setup.rb myproject.xcodeproj # whatever your Xcode project is named

And, don't forget to close the Xcode project (.xcodeproj) and open the workspace (.xcworkspace) instead. Now, you are all set to define your first ObjectBox entities; e.g. check the getting started guide or the example described below.

New to CocoaPods?

CocoaPods is a dependency manager and sets up libraries like ObjectBox in your Xcode project. To install it, run this in a terminal:

sudo gem install cocoapods

In CocoaPods, you keep track of used libraries in a file called "Podfile". If you don't have this file yet, navigate to your Xcode project folder and use CocoaPods to create one:

pod init

CocoaPods troubleshooting

If pod install fails, try updating CocoaPods first:

gem update xcodeproj && gem update cocoapods && pod repo update

Swift versions

Here's a list of ObjectBox releases, and the Swift versions they were compiled with:

This might be relevant, e.g. when using Carthage. For various reasons, we recommend using the latest version.

Example

In the Example directory, you'll find a "Notes" example app demonstrating ObjectBox's Swift API. The example comes with two apps: one for iOS and one for macOS. The iOS example is a full GUI application, whereas the macOS example runs a few operations and then exits.

To setup the example, use CocoaPods to acquire the framework:

cd Example/
pod install # if that fails, update CocoaPods (see Installation)
Pods/ObjectBox/setup.rb

This will generate a NotesExample.xcworkspace that you can launch to try out ObjectBox.

Background: code generation

ObjectBox Swift Database generates code at build time for optimal performance at runtime by avoiding reflection etc. This is automatically done for you and should be transparent. Internally, we use a fork of Sourcery for this.

Source code

Source code for ObjectBox's Swift binding can be found in the Source folder.

Already using ObjectBox?

We're on a mission to bring joy, delight and sustainability to app developers. To do this, we need your help: Please fill in this 2-minute Anonymous Feedback Form. Let us know what you love and what is amiss, so we can improve.

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• Add GitHub issues
• Upvote issues you find important by hitting the 👍/+1 reaction button
• Drop us a line via @ObjectBox_io
• ⭐ us, if you like what you see

Thank you! 🙏

Keep in touch: For general news on ObjectBox, check our blog!

Cross-platform database: Mobile, Desktop, Browser, Embedded, IoT

ObjectBox is a cross-platform database supporting sustainable app development in multiple native languages:

• Java/Kotlin Database: runs on Android, desktop, and servers.
• Golang Database: great for IoT, data-driven tools, and server applications.
• C and C++ Database: native speed with zero copy access to objects on embedded devices also enables porting ObjectBox to other languages.
• Flutter/Dart Database: persist Dart objects & build cross-platform apps using Flutter.

License

All files in this repository are under the Apache 2 license:

Copyright 2018-2022 ObjectBox Ltd. All rights reserved.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.