flatc

flatc is the command-line compiler for Google's FlatBuffers data serialization framework. It translates .fbs schema files into language-specific source code that provides typed accessors for reading and writing FlatBuffer data.

The primary purpose of flatc is to generate code in a target programming language from a FlatBuffers schema. Supported target languages include C++, C#, Go, Java, Python, JavaScript and TypeScript, PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, Rust, and Dart. In addition to code generation, flatc can emit other artifacts such as JSON schemas for tooling or reflection data for runtime schema introspection.

FlatBuffers itself is a binary serialization format designed for high performance, enabling zero-copy access to serialized data without unpacking. flatc complements this by producing the code required to construct and access FlatBuffer objects in the chosen language, facilitating efficient data interchange between systems and languages.

The tool is cross-platform and distributed as part of the open-source FlatBuffers project, with releases and source code available on GitHub under an open-license model. It has been adopted across domains such as game development, mobile applications, and other performance-sensitive systems where compact binary formats and fast access are important.

Typical usage involves invoking flatc with a target language and a .fbs schema file; for example, generating C++ headers or Python bindings from a given schema. The compiler supports a range of options to tailor generation, including features for schema evolution, validation, and reflection data.

See also: FlatBuffers.