Quickstart: Minimal Example

This is the fastest way to get a working SP8D channel in your app. For environment requirements, see Installation Requirements →.

See how to set up a minimal SP8D channel for real-time, lock-free messaging in JavaScript and Node.js. Copy-paste code for instant high-performance results.

SP8D Minimal Example: Lock-Free Messaging in JavaScript & Node.js

Minimal Example: Single Producer, Single Consumer

The following is the most basic usage: one producer and one consumer, communicating via a lock-free, bounded channel. For a more complete and production-ready SPSC example, see Basic SPSC Example.

Node.js (TypeScript)

minimal-example.ts

import { createChannel } from "@sp8d/core";
 
const { channel } = createChannel({ slots: 8, slotSize: 64 });
channel.send(new Uint8Array([42, 17, 8]));
const received: Uint8Array | undefined = channel.recv();
console.log("Received:", received); // Uint8Array([42, 17, 8])

If you prefer plain JavaScript, you can use the same code without type annotations.

Browser: Main Thread to Worker (TypeScript)

SP8D works seamlessly in browsers, enabling high-performance communication between the main thread and workers. This example uses two files: one for the main thread, one for the worker. Requires SharedArrayBuffer support in your browser.

main.ts

import { createChannel } from "@sp8d/core";
 
const { channel, buffer } = createChannel({ slots: 8, slotSize: 8 });
 
const worker = new Worker("worker.js");
worker.postMessage(buffer, [buffer]); // Transfer the SharedArrayBuffer
 
// Send a message from main
channel.send(new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]));

worker.ts

import { attachChannel } from "@sp8d/core";
 
self.onmessage = (e: MessageEvent<SharedArrayBuffer>) => {
  const channel = attachChannel(e.data);
  const msg: Uint8Array | undefined = channel.recv();
  console.log("Worker received:", msg); // Should log: Uint8Array([1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8])
};

In this setup, the main thread creates the channel and transfers the buffer to the worker. Both sides can now send and receive messages with zero-copy efficiency.

_{Diagram: Minimal browser/worker data flow: main thread and
worker communicate via a shared SP8D channel.}

How It Works

This section summarizes the minimal mechanics behind SP8D’s channel operations. For deeper details, see the relevant documentation sections.

createChannel: Allocates a shared ring buffer of slots for your messages, with safety and backpressure.
send: Producer claims a slot, writes the payload, and marks it as ready.
recv: Consumer waits for a ready slot, reads the data, and frees it.
All transitions happen atomically—no locks, ever.

Why Use SP8D for Minimal Messaging?

No setup of queues, events, Promise chains, or bounce buffers. Immediate delivery, guaranteed boundedness, lock-free performance. No external dependencies beyond modern JS runtime support. Use channel.info() or channel.stats() to verify state and health.

Try Live

Test SP8D channels interactively in your browser. A live harness is available for experimentation and diagnostics. Open the SP8D Harness →

Where to Go Next

Installation Common Recipes