Getting Started

Welcome to Sepia! This guide will help you get up and running with Sepia's file-system-based object persistence.

What You'll Learn

In this section, you'll learn:

• How to install Sepia in your Crystal project
• Basic concepts and terminology
• How to create your first persistent objects
• How to organize your data structures

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Crystal 1.16.3 or higher installed
• Basic understanding of Crystal classes and modules
• A code editor or IDE

Core Concepts

Sepia provides two main modules for object persistence:

Serializable Objects

Objects that serialize to a single file on disk. Perfect for simple data structures like documents, configurations, or settings.

Container Objects

Objects that serialize as directories containing other objects. Great for complex data structures with relationships like project hierarchies, user profiles, or configuration systems.

Storage Backends

Sepia supports multiple storage backends:

• Filesystem (default): Stores objects in local directories
• Memory: Keeps objects in RAM (useful for testing)

Generation Tracking

Sepia tracks object versions to prevent conflicts when multiple processes modify the same data.

Next Steps

1. Installation - Add Sepia to your project
2. Quick Start - Create your first persistent objects
3. Core Concepts - Understand the fundamentals

Let's start with Installation.