IxiBytes (Length-Prefixed Byte Array)

Finalized

IxiBytes is the standard format for serializing variable-length binary data, such as addresses, public keys, and signatures, within the Ixian protocol.

On-Wire Serialization Format

The format consists of two parts: a variable-length integer that specifies the length, followed by the raw data bytes.

PartData TypeDescription
LengthIxiVarUIntThe number of bytes (N) in the Data field.
Databyte[N]N bytes of raw binary data.

Special Cases

  • Empty or Null Data: If the byte array to be encoded is null or has a length of 0, it is serialized as a single IxiVarUInt with the value 0. No Data part follows. A decoder reading a length of 0 should interpret the result as a zero-length or null byte array.

Examples

Example 1: byte[] { 0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF }

  1. Data: DE AD BE EF
  2. Length: The data has a length of 4.
  3. Length as IxiVarUInt: 04
  4. Final Serialized Form: 04 DE AD BE EF

Example 2: An empty byte array byte[] {}

  1. Data: (empty)
  2. Length: The data has a length of 0.
  3. Length as IxiVarUInt: 00
  4. Final Serialized Form: 00

Blocks

IxiNumber