cereal ☆

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Description:
C++11 library for serialization

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 1.3.2@1 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: c++ serialization library header-only json

Install: brew install cereal

About:
cereal is a header-only C++11 serialization library that allows developers to convert C++ data structures to and from various archive formats, including JSON, XML, and binary. Its primary value is offering a simple, non-intrusive API that requires minimal code changes to existing classes. By leveraging modern C++ features, it provides high performance and flexibility without the overhead of external dependencies.

Key Features:

Header-only, no installation required
Supports JSON, XML, and binary archives
Non-intrusive serialization with minimal code
Extremely fast with C++11/14/17 support

Use Cases:

Saving and loading application state or configurations
Network communication via object serialization
Data persistence for game development or simulations

Alternatives:

Boost.Serialization – More comprehensive but requires the heavy Boost library dependency
Protocol Buffers – Better for cross-language compatibility but requires a separate compilation step

License: BSD-3-Clause

Bottles available for: all

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit