What is Strata

Strata is a deterministic data format with canonical encoding.

It defines a single, unambiguous binary representation for structured data. If two systems encode the same logical value, they must produce identical bytes and identical hashes.

This is not a convenience feature. It is a correctness guarantee.

Strata is designed for systems where byte-level stability matters more than flexibility, and where differences in encoding are considered bugs, not acceptable variation.

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Deterministic by design

Most data formats allow multiple valid encodings for the same value. Strata does not.

In Strata:

• Every value has exactly one valid binary form

• There are no equivalent encodings

• There is no normalization step

• There is no permissive decoding

If two encoders produce different bytes for the same value, at least one of them is wrong.

Determinism is enforced, not suggested.

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Canonical encoding

Strata's canonical encoding rules define:

• how values are represented in binary

• how integers are encoded

• how strings are encoded

• how maps are ordered

• what constitutes valid and invalid data

Canonical rules are frozen per version. Once finalized, they do not change.

This guarantees that data encoded today will produce the same bytes and hashes in the future, across all compliant implementations.

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Binary core, textual authoring

Strata consists of two layers:

• Strata Core Binary (.scb) The canonical binary format. This is the source of truth for hashing, storage, and transport.

• Strata Text (.st) A human-readable authoring format that compiles into canonical .scb. .st is a convenience layer. .scb is the truth.

Only .scb participates in determinism guarantees.

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What Strata is not

Strata is intentionally limited.

It is not:

• a schema system

• a self-describing format

• a compression format

• a streaming protocol

• a cryptographic container

• a general-purpose serialization framework

It does not support:

• floating-point numbers

• optional fields

• default values

• backward-compatible schema evolution

These constraints are deliberate. Flexibility in representation introduces ambiguity. Strata chooses precision over convenience.

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When Strata makes sense

Strata is designed for systems where:

• data is content-addressed or hashed

• hashes must be stable across languages

• byte-level equality matters

• correctness depends on reproducibility

• data may outlive any single implementation

If your system requires "mostly the same" bytes, Strata is not the right tool. If it requires exactly the same bytes, Strata exists for that purpose.

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Summary

Strata is a deterministic data format with canonical encoding.

Same value -> same bytes -> same hash Always. Everywhere. Or it is a bug.