bbor62 - A Compact Binary-to-Text Compressor

bbor62 is a highly efficient binary encoder that excels in converting binary data into alphanumeric text format. This project was born out of the need for a general-purpose binary encoder that preserves a multitude of essential features, including:

• Bidirectional Support: Both encoder and decoder modules are available in Java and JavaScript.
• Schemaless Design: No reliance on complex schemas like Protocol Buffers or Avro; simple plug-and-play functionality.
• Streaming Capability: Operates in a single pass without extensive analysis, enhancing performance.
• Purely Alphanumeric Output: Outputs only characters from the set [0-9][a-z][A-Z], ensuring that the resulting strings remain user-friendly and easily selectable.
• Balanced Implementation: A deliberate trade-off between complexity, size, and compression ratio, making it accessible for various applications.
• No Trailing Characters: Clean output with no unnecessary padding.
• UTF-16 Support: Capable of handling UTF-16 encoded data directly.
• No External Dependencies: Standalone implementation with minimal setup.

Project Origin

The project initially commenced as an exploration of Pieroxy's lz-string compressor. While effective, lz-string did not meet specific requirements for JSON payload compression, which inspired the development of bbor62. The encoder integrates concepts from CBOR, LZW, and Base62 to create a more efficient and portable solution that is also URL-safe.

Performance Comparison

A summary of compression performance is illustrated below, using a sample JSON data set. Each encoder is evaluated on its compression ratio and the number of characters produced:

Example JSON to Encode

The following JSON sample provides an illustration of the data encoded by bbor62:

{
  "organization": {
    "name": "Tech Innovators Inc.",
    "founded": 2010,
    "headquarters": {
      "street": "123 Innovation Way",
      "city": "San Francisco",
      "state": "CA",
      "zipCode": "94105"
    },
    "employees": [
      {
        "id": "E001",
        "firstName": "John",
        "lastName": "Smith",
        "role": "Software Engineer",
        "department": "Engineering",
        "skills": ["JavaScript", "Python", "AWS"],
        "contactInfo": {
          "email": "john.smith@techinnovators.com",
          "phone": "+1-555-123-4567",
          "extension": 101
        },
        "projects": [
          {
            "name": "Cloud Migration",
            "status": "in-progress",
            "deadline": "2024-12-31"
          },
          {
            "name": "Mobile App Development",
            "status": "completed",
            "deadline": "2024-06-30"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "id": "E002",
        "firstName": "Jane",
        "lastName": "Doe",
        "role": "Product Manager",
        "department": "Product",
        "skills": ["Agile", "Strategy", "User Research"],
        "contactInfo": {
          "email": "jane.doe@techinnovators.com",
          "phone": "+1-555-123-4568",
          "extension": 102
        },
        "projects": [
          {
            "name": "Market Analysis",
            "status": "pending",
            "deadline": "2024-09-30"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "activeSites": true,
    "revenue": {
      "2022": 5000000,
      "2023": 7500000,
      "projected2024": 9223372036854775807
    }
  }
}

Conclusion

bbor62 represents a significant advancement in the field of binary data compression. With its combination of efficiency, ease of use, and robust performance, it is an ideal solution for developers seeking a reliable way to compress and encode binary data.