bencode_lib

A Rust library for parsing, constructing, and converting Bencode data. Designed for embedded systems, resource-constrained environments, and general-purpose use. Supports round-tripping Bencode and conversion to JSON, YAML, XML, and TOML.

Features

• Parse Bencode into a typed tree (Node)
• Serialize Node back to canonical Bencode
• Convert Node to JSON, YAML, XML, or TOML
• Zero-copy and no_std support for embedded
• Memory pool/arena allocation
• Lightweight error handling
• Stack-based iterative parser for deep nesting
• Validation helpers for ergonomic field extraction
• Configurable parsing and encoding
• Read/write from files or in‑memory buffers

Installation

Add to your Cargo.toml:

• If published on crates.io:

toml
[dependencies]
bencode_lib = "0.1.7"

• Or as a workspace/path dependency:

toml
[dependencies]
bencode_lib = { path = "library" }

Quick Examples

Parse a .torrent file and write as YAML:

use bencode_lib::{FileSource, FileDestination, parse, to_yaml};
let mut src = FileSource::new("example.torrent")?;
let node = parse(&mut src)?;
let mut dst = FileDestination::new("example.yaml")?;
to_yaml(&node, &mut dst);

Round-trip a Bencode buffer:

use bencode_lib::{BufferSource, BufferDestination, parse, stringify};
let raw = b"d3:foo3:bar4:spamli1ei2ei3eee".to_vec();
let mut src = BufferSource::new(raw);
let node = parse(&mut src)?;
let mut dst = BufferDestination::new();
stringify(&node, &mut dst);

Construct a Node and render as JSON:

use bencode_lib::{Node, to_json, BufferDestination};
let node = Node::from_dict(vec![
    ("info", Node::from_list(vec![Node::from_int(42), Node::from_str("hello")]))
]);
let mut dst = BufferDestination::new();
to_json(&node, &mut dst);
println!("{}", dst.to_string());

Data Model

• Integer: Node::Integer(i64)
• String: Node::String(Vec<u8>)
• List: Node::List(Vec<Node>)
• Dictionary: Node::Dict(Vec<(Vec<u8>, Node)>)

API Overview

• Sources/Destinations: FileSource, FileDestination, BufferSource, BufferDestination
• Core: Node, parse, stringify
• Converters: to_json, to_yaml, to_xml, to_toml
• Utilities: version, read_file, write_file
• Embedded: Arena, MemoryTracker, StackBuffer, BencodeError, parse_borrowed, validate_bencode
• Config: ParserConfig, EncoderConfig

Error Handling

• Parsing returns Result<Node, BencodeError>
• File operations return Result<_, BencodeError>
• Validation helpers for required/optional fields

Minimum Supported Rust Version

• Rust 1.88.0

Documentation

• See docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md for contributor info
• See docs/API_OVERVIEW.md for API details
• See docs/EMBEDDED_GUIDE.md for embedded usage
• Example READMEs in examples/

License

MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.