JSON & MessagePack Serialization for Unity

High-performance, allocation-free (where possible), and AOT-compatible serialization library for Unity. Support for both MessagePack (binary) and JSON (text) formats with a unified API.

Designed specifically for Unity's unique constraints, including IL2CPP (AOT) and limited system library access on platforms like iOS, WebGL, and consoles.

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Key Features

• Standard Compliance: Full implementation of MessagePack and JSON specifications.
• AOT / IL2CPP Ready: Works out-of-the-box on iOS, WebGL, and other AOT platforms without dynamic code generation.
• Unity Built-in Types: Native support for Vector2/3/4, Quaternion, Color, Bounds, Rect, and Matrix4x4.
• Flexible Mapping: Use standard [DataContract] and [DataMember] attributes or serialize plain classes/structs.
• Polymorphism Support: Can preserve and restore type information for interface or base class fields.
• Customizable: Easy to implement and register custom TypeSerializer for any type.
• Lightweight: Minimal dependencies and small binary size.

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Installation

Unity Package Manager (UPM)

You can add this package to your project via the Package Manager window using the Git URL: https://github.com/deniszykov/msgpack-unity3d.git?path=/src/GameDevWare.Serialization.Unity/Packages/com.gamedevware.serialization

Unity Asset Store

Available as a free asset: Json + MessagePack Serializer

NuGet (for .NET projects)

PM> Install-Package GameDevWare.Serialization

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Quick Start

Basic Serialization

using GameDevWare.Serialization;
using System.IO;

// Create your data
var myData = new MyData { Name = "Unity", Version = 2.0f };

// Serialize to MessagePack
var stream = new MemoryStream();
MsgPack.Serialize(myData, stream);

// Deserialize from MessagePack
stream.Position = 0;
var restoredData = MsgPack.Deserialize<MyData>(stream);

Working with JSON

// Serialize to JSON string
string json = Json.SerializeToString(myData);

// Deserialize from JSON string
var restoredData = Json.Deserialize<MyData>(json);

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Advanced Usage

Data Contract Attributes

Use attributes to control how your fields are serialized:

[DataContract]
public class User
{
    [DataMember(Name = "id")]
    public int Id;

    [DataMember(Name = "full_name")]
    public string Name;

    [IgnoreDataMember]
    public string SessionToken; // This won't be serialized
}

Preserving Type Information (Polymorphism)

By default, the serializer handles concrete types. If you need to serialize interfaces or abstract classes, enable type information:

// Serialize with type information
MsgPack.Serialize(hero, stream, SerializationOptions.None); 

// Deserialize (the correct concrete type will be instantiated automatically)
var hero = (BaseHero)MsgPack.Deserialize(typeof(BaseHero), stream, SerializationOptions.None);

Note: Use SerializationOptions.SuppressTypeInformation to reduce payload size when you only deal with concrete types.

Custom Type Serializers

Implement TypeSerializer to handle complex types manually:

public sealed class MyCustomSerializer : TypeSerializer {
    public override Type SerializedType { get { return typeof(MyCustomType); } }
    
    public override object Deserialize(IJsonReader reader) { 
        var value = reader.ReadString(nextToken: false);
        return new MyCustomType(value);
    }

    public override void Serialize(IJsonWriter writer, object valueObj) {
        var value = (MyCustomType)valueObj;
        writer.Write(value.ToString());
    }
}

Register it via Json.DefaultSerializers.Add(new MyCustomSerializer()) or use [TypeSerializer(typeof(MyCustomSerializer))] attribute on your class.

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Platform Support & AOT (IL2CPP)

This library is fully compatible with IL2CPP.

Important for IL2CPP/AOT: On platforms that use IL2CPP (iOS, WebGL, Android with IL2CPP), Unity might strip out necessary metadata for System.Runtime.Serialization.dll and GameDevWare.Serialization.dll. To prevent this, add a link.xml file to your project's root:

<linker>
  <assembly fullname="System.Runtime.Serialization" preserve="all"/>
  <assembly fullname="GameDevWare.Serialization" preserve="all"/>
</linker>

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FAQ

Q: Is it faster than JsonUtility? A: JsonUtility is a C++ wrapper and is generally faster for very simple classes. However, this library supports Dictionaries, Interfaces, polymorphic types, and MessagePack, which JsonUtility does not.

Q: Can I use it for network packets? A: Yes! Its MessagePack implementation is extremely efficient for binary networking, providing a much smaller footprint than JSON.

Q: Does it support circular references? A: By default, it will throw an exception to prevent infinite loops. It is designed for data-transfer objects rather than complex object graphs.

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Contacts

Found a bug or have a suggestion?

• Email: support@gamedevware.com
• GitHub Issues: Report here

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.