# SurrealDB Integration - Quick Reference ## TL;DR **Question:** What happens if we want to use SurrealDB instead of SQLite? **Answer:** - ✅ **Possible** - Good separation of concerns exists - ⚠️ **Medium Effort** - ~40-50 hours, manageable - 🎯 **Recommended Approach** - Trait-based abstraction (supports both) - 📅 **Timeline** - Can be done in next sprint if prioritized --- ## Architecture Overview ``` Current (SQLite only): ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ syntaxis-cli │ │ syntaxis-tui │ │ syntaxis-api │ │ syntaxis-dashboard │ └──────────────┬──────────────┘ │ ┌─────▼────────┐ │ PersistenceLayer │ (SQLite pool) └─────┬────────┘ │ workspace.db Proposed (Both support): ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ syntaxis-cli │ │ syntaxis-tui │ │ syntaxis-api │ │ syntaxis-dashboard │ └──────────────┬──────────────┘ │ ┌─────▼──────────────────┐ │ Database Trait │ │ (abstraction layer) │ └─────┬──────────┬───────┘ │ │ ┌──────▼─┐ ┌──▼──────────┐ │ SQLite │ │ SurrealDB │ │ Impl │ │ Impl │ └──────┬─┘ └──┬──────────┘ │ │ workspace.db surrealdb:// ``` --- ## Key Implementation Details ### 1. Database Trait (Abstraction Layer) ```rust #[async_trait] pub trait Database: Send + Sync + Clone { async fn create_project(...) -> Result; async fn get_project(id: &str) -> Result; async fn list_projects() -> Result>; async fn record_phase_transition(...) -> Result<()>; // ... 50+ more methods } ``` **Benefits:** - Both SQLite and SurrealDB implement same interface - Application code doesn't change - Swap backends at runtime via config - Testable with mock implementations ### 2. Configuration-Driven Selection ```toml # .env.development - SQLite (fast, no setup) [database] engine = "sqlite" sqlite_path = "data/workspace.db" # .env.production - SurrealDB (cloud-ready) [database] engine = "surrealdb" [database.surrealdb] url = "ws://surrealdb-server:8000" namespace = "syntaxis" database = "projects" ``` ### 3. Implementation Modules ``` syntaxis-core/src/persistence/ ├── mod.rs # Database trait definition ├── sqlite_impl.rs # SQLite implementation (current code) ├── surrealdb_impl.rs # SurrealDB implementation (new) └── error.rs # Unified error handling ``` --- ## SurrealDB Advantages for syntaxis ### 1. Graph-Native Phase Transitions **Problem with SQLite:** ```sql SELECT pt.* FROM phase_transitions pt JOIN phases p1 ON p1.id = pt.from_phase JOIN phases p2 ON p2.id = pt.to_phase WHERE pt.project_id = ? ORDER BY timestamp DESC; ``` **Solution with SurrealDB:** ```surql SELECT * FROM project:123 -> transitioned_to -> * ``` ### 2. Real-time Dashboard Updates **SQLite:** Poll database every N seconds (wasteful) **SurrealDB:** WebSocket subscription (instant push) ```rust // SurrealDB - Real-time let mut stream = db.query("LIVE SELECT * FROM projects").await?; while let Some(change) = stream.next().await { send_to_dashboard(change).await; // Instant! } ``` ### 3. Built-in Audit Trail **SQLite:** Manual activity_logs table **SurrealDB:** Built-in versioning ```surql SELECT * FROM projects VERSION AT ; SELECT * FROM projects DIFF FROM TO ; ``` ### 4. Flexible Document Schema **SQLite:** JSON strings to parse **SurrealDB:** Native document objects ```surql UPDATE toolconfig:cargo-clippy SET config.clippy_level = 'strict'; // No parsing! ``` --- ## Implementation Roadmap | Phase | Duration | Effort | Tasks | |-------|----------|--------|-------| | **Phase 1** | 1 week | Low | Define Database trait, tests | | **Phase 2** | 1 week | Medium | Refactor SQLite to adapter | | **Phase 3** | 2 weeks | High | Implement SurrealDB adapter | | **Phase 4** | 1 week | Medium | Integration & testing | | **Total** | 5 weeks | Medium | 40-50 hours | --- ## Current Status vs Future State ### Current (SQLite) ``` ✅ Single file database ✅ Zero configuration ✅ Embedded in application ✅ Suitable for single user/CLI ❌ No real-time updates ❌ Poor graph query support ❌ Manual audit trails ``` ### With SurrealDB Support ``` ✅ Keep SQLite as default ✅ Add SurrealDB for advanced use ✅ Configuration-driven selection ✅ Real-time dashboard updates ✅ Natural graph queries ✅ Built-in versioning ✅ Zero breaking changes ``` --- ## Risk Assessment | Risk | Impact | Probability | Mitigation | |------|--------|-------------|-----------| | Breaking changes | High | Low | Trait pattern prevents breakage | | Data migration | High | Medium | Create migration tool before switching | | SurrealDB learning curve | Medium | Medium | Comprehensive docs + examples | | Operational complexity | Medium | Medium | Keep SQLite as simple default | --- ## Recommendation ✅ **YES, proceed with SurrealDB integration** because: 1. Clean separation of concerns (single persistence module) 2. Natural fit for graph-based domain (phases, tasks, dependencies) 3. Trait-based approach enables zero breaking changes 4. Future features easier (real-time, versioning, graph queries) 5. Can be done incrementally without disrupting current work **Best Approach:** 1. Phase 1: Define Database trait 2. Phase 2: Move SQLite to adapter 3. Phase 3: Implement SurrealDB adapter 4. Phase 4: Configuration-driven selection 5. **Result:** Users can choose which database fits their needs --- ## Files Created 1. **SURREALDB_MIGRATION.md** - Comprehensive migration guide 2. **SURREALDB_EXAMPLE.rs** - Complete implementation example 3. **SURREALDB_COMPARISON.md** - SQLite vs SurrealDB comparison 4. **SURREALDB_QUICK_REFERENCE.md** - This file --- ## Next Steps 1. Review migration documents 2. Review example implementation 3. Decide if proceeding with Phase 1 4. Estimate timeline for your team 5. Create feature branch for implementation --- ## Questions? See detailed documentation in: - `SURREALDB_MIGRATION.md` - Full technical details - `SURREALDB_EXAMPLE.rs` - Working code examples - `SURREALDB_COMPARISON.md` - Feature comparison