Efficient, generic serialization/deserialization framework with derive-style codegen, pluggable data-format adapters, and faithful line-by-line transliteration including per-file provenance headers, ensuring API parity with upstream implementation.
Original Project: This port is based on serde-rs/serde. All design credit and project intent belong to the upstream authors; this repository is a faithful port to Kotlin Multiplatform with no behavioural changes intended.
Porting status
This is an in-progress port. The goal is feature parity with the upstream Rust crate while providing a native Kotlin Multiplatform API. Every Kotlin file carries a // port-lint: source <path> header naming its upstream Rust counterpart so the AST-distance tool can track provenance.
Upstream README — serde-rs/serde
The text below is reproduced and lightly edited from https://github.com/serde-rs/serde. It is the upstream project's own description and remains under the upstream authors' authorship; links have been rewritten to absolute upstream URLs so they continue to resolve from this repository.
Serde
Serde is a framework for serializing and deserializing Rust data structures efficiently and generically.
[dependencies]# The core APIs, including the Serialize and Deserialize traits. Always# required when using Serde. The "derive" feature is only required when# using #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize)] to make Serde work with structs# and enums defined in your crate.serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
# Each data format lives in its own crate; the sample code below uses JSON# but you may be using a different one.serde_json = "1.0"
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug)]structPoint {
x: i32,
y: i32,
}
fnmain() {
letpoint = Point { x: 1, y: 2 };
// Convert the Point to a JSON string.letserialized = serde_json::to_string(&point).unwrap();
// Prints serialized = {"x":1,"y":2}println!("serialized = {}", serialized);
// Convert the JSON string back to a Point.letdeserialized: Point = serde_json::from_str(&serialized).unwrap();
// Prints deserialized = Point { x: 1, y: 2 }println!("deserialized = {:?}", deserialized);
}
Getting help
Serde is one of the most widely used Rust libraries so any place that Rustaceans
congregate will be able to help you out. For chat, consider trying the
#rust-questions or #rust-beginners channels of the unofficial community
Discord (invite: https://discord.gg/rust-lang-community), the #rust-usage or
#beginners channels of the official Rust Project Discord (invite:
https://discord.gg/rust-lang), or the #general stream in Zulip. For
asynchronous, consider the [rust] tag on StackOverflow, the
/r/rust subreddit which has a pinned weekly easy questions post, or the Rust
Discourse forum. It's acceptable to file a support issue in this
repo but they tend not to get as many eyes as any of the above and may get
closed without a response after some time.
Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted
for inclusion in Serde by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be
dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.
The modules are published as separate Maven coordinates: serde-kotlin:0.1.11,
serde-core:0.1.11, and serde-derive:0.1.11. Most consumers only need
serde-kotlin, which exposes the other two modules through its API dependencies.
See AGENTS.md for translator discipline, port-lint header convention, and Rust → Kotlin idiom mapping.
License
This Kotlin port is distributed under the same MIT license as the upstream serde-rs/serde. See LICENSE (and any sibling LICENSE-* / NOTICE files mirrored from upstream) for the full text.
Original work copyrighted by the serde authors.
Kotlin port: Copyright (c) 2026 Sydney Renee and The Solace Project.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the serde-rs/serde maintainers and contributors for the original Rust implementation. This port reproduces their work in Kotlin Multiplatform; bug reports about upstream design or behavior should go to the upstream repository.