active_record.cr

A Crystal port of Rails ActiveRecord 8.1.4 for PostgreSQL — models, Relation querying, validations, callbacks, associations, transactions, migrations, schema dumping, STI, enums/stores and ActiveRecord::Encryption. Namespace ActiveRecord mirrors the original 1:1. Status: 292/292 oracle specs green (crud/dirty/callbacks/validations/associations/ transactions/persistence/proxy, through + polymorphic + HABTM + counter_cache/touch/inverse_of, includes/preload/eager_load, optimistic locking, STI, enum/store/alias_attribute/attr_readonly/cache_key/ has_secure_token, nested attributes, serialize, autosave), plus migrations, db/schema.cr dump (byte-identical to the schema.rb oracle) and encryption.

⚠️ EXPERIMENTAL FRAMEWORK, DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION YET.

How it works

1. bin/ar_schema_dump dumps the DB schema to db/schema.yml (columns/types/nullability) — input for compile-time codegen.
2. A model class < ActiveRecord::Base registers itself at compile time (macro inherited); at the end of the program a {{ run(...) }} runner reads db/schema.yml (env CRAILS_SCHEMA) and generates attributes, the row mapper, initialize(**attrs), attributes/[]/inspect/reload!. Ruby's runtime define_method becomes compile-time code generation — this is the key mechanism of the whole port.
3. PostgreSQL → Crystal type mapping: int* → Int64, float8 → Float64, numeric → PG::Numeric, timestamp* → Time, json/jsonb → JSON::Any, bytea → Bytes, arrays → Array(...). Caveat: columns named after Crystal keywords (until) get getters/ setters but are excluded from new(**kwargs).

Quick start

shards install

# 1) dump the DB schema to db/schema.yml (needed for codegen)
DATABASE_URL='postgres://root@/data_lake_development?host=/var/run/postgresql' \
  bin/ar_schema_dump

# 2) demo read
crystal run examples/datalake_read.cr

Feature comparison vs activerecord 8.1.4

Connections & schema

Feature	Original (activerecord)	Port (active_record.cr)	Status
establish_connection (URL / config / database.yml subset), DATABASE_URL, unix sockets, schema_search_path, connection pool (pool: Rails semantics, default 5)	✅	Same	✅
Attribute codegen name / name= / name? / name_was / name_changed?	✅	{{ run }} from schema.yml	✅
table_name=, primary_key=	✅	Custom PK lives in @id (w.uid → w.id)	🔶
attribute :x, default:	✅	Applies to new records only (NULL from DB stays nil, oracle-verified); type argument accepted but ignored (types come from the schema)	🔶
Runtime attribute methods without recompilation	✅	Not possible — equivalent: crails watch (rebuild)	❌

Relation / querying

Feature	Original	Port	Status
where/not/order/limit/offset/reverse_order (String+args, hash, Range→BETWEEN, Array→IN, nil→IS NULL)	✅	Same	✅
each, empty?, count(+group), size, pluck, pick, ids	✅	count with GROUP BY → Hash	✅
take, first, first!, last, sole, to_sql	✅	Same	✅
exists? (no args / id / conditions)	✅	Same	✅
find_each, find_in_batches, in_batches(of:)	✅	Same	✅
find, find?, find_by, find_by!, first_or_create, find_or_create_by	✅	Nilable finders cannot be chained (types)	🔶
sum / average / minimum / maximum	✅	average → PG::Numeric (2 digits)	✅
or, merge, group, having, distinct	✅	or checks structural compatibility	✅
joins, left_outer_joins	✅	has_many/has_one FK convention	✅
includes, preload, eager_load, references	✅	IN-queries + memory preload; eager_load as one LEFT OUTER JOIN with AS c_<col> aliases and owner dedup; references switches strategy (Rails semantics); polymorphic/through load lazily	✅
select, reselect	✅	Simple columns; unloaded attribute → nil (Rails: MissingAttributeError); raw SQL fragments cannot be materialized into records	🔶
reorder, in_order_of	✅	ARRAY_POSITION	✅
update_all, delete_all, destroy_all, touch_all	✅	Relation and class level	✅
none, except/only, annotate, explain	✅	explain → String (Rails: ExplainProxy)	🔶
lock ("FOR UPDATE"), readonly, strict_loading	✅	readonly save/destroy → ReadOnlyRecord; strict_loading → StrictLoadingViolationError	✅
scope :name do ... end (with parameters)	✅	Block-body splice	✅
default_scope, unscoped	✅	default_scope: single where(...) only (macro recursion limit)	🔶
Dynamic finders find_by_email	✅	No method_missing — use find_by(email:)	❌

Validations

Feature	Original	Port	Status
presence / length / numericality / format / uniqueness (+scope:)	✅	Same	✅
inclusion, exclusion, acceptance, confirmation, comparison	✅	Rails 8 acceptance skips nil	✅
validate (method/block), valid?(context) / invalid?	✅	Default context :create/:update	✅
on:, allow_blank:, allow_nil:, strict:	✅	strict → StrictValidationFailed	✅
if: / unless:	✅	Ruby keywords — named args condition: / unless_condition:	🔶
errors: add/full_messages/where/details/group_by_attribute	✅	details keys are Strings (no runtime Symbols)	🔶
around_validation	—	Does not exist in Rails 8	—
numericality of a String into an Int column	✅	Will not compile (documented)	❌

Callbacks

Feature	Original	Port	Status
before/after _validation/_save/_create/_update/_destroy	✅	Order oracle-verified	✅
around_save/create/update/destroy	✅	Block or symbol form, order 1:1	✅
after_initialize, after_find, after_touch	✅	after_find fires before after_initialize on load (1:1)	✅
after_commit, after_rollback (+ on: filter)	✅	Real COMMIT/ROLLBACK incl. savepoints	✅

Associations

Feature	Original	Port	Status
belongs_to (+ build_/create_), has_many, has_one (+dependent), options foreign_key, class_name, optional	✅	Same	✅
CollectionProxy each/count/size/empty?/ids/pluck/build/create/create!/destroy_all/delete_all/order?/where?	✅	Same	✅
CollectionProxy <<, concat, include?, destroy, delete, replace	✅	delete/replace (nullify) implemented but not oracle-pinned (FK NOT NULL in scratch schema)	🔶
<assoc>_ids	✅	Codegen	✅
through / source	✅	Subquery mid_fk IN (SELECT …)	✅
Polymorphic (as:)	✅	Param as_name: (as is a keyword); compile-time POLY_OWNERS/POLY_USERS registry	🔶
has_and_belongs_to_many	✅	Join naming from both table_names	✅
counter_cache, inverse_of, autosave, touch	✅	autosave stores children in @loaded_assocs (semantics 1:1 on oracle cases)	✅
primary_key: / validate: association options	✅	Not ported	⬜
Runtime class_name: "Foo" for arbitrary strings	✅	Compile-time known classes only	❌

Persistence & dirty

Feature	Original	Port	Status
new, create(_!), save(_!), update(_!), assign_attributes, attributes	✅	Persistence methods take a Hash, not keywords	🔶
destroy, persisted?, new_record?, frozen?	✅	Same	✅
dirty: changed?/changed/changes/saved_changes/will_save_change_to_x?	✅	Same	✅
update_columns, touch(*cols), insert_all(_!), upsert_all	✅	Same	✅
reload, update_attribute, increment/decrement(+!), toggle(+!), restore_attributes, previous_changes, instance delete, becomes	✅	Return-value semantics 1:1	✅
Virtual attributes	✅	Direct setter only (no runtime method magic)	🔶

Transactions & locking

Feature	Original	Port	Status
transaction (requires_new:, isolation:)	✅	Connection pinned to the fiber; joined-nested Rollback does not roll back (matches 8.1.4, verified on live Rails)	✅
with_lock, lock!	✅	SELECT FOR UPDATE on the pinned connection	✅
Optimistic locking (lock_version)	✅	UPDATE ... AND lock_version = $N; 0 rows → StaleObjectError	✅

Migrations & schema

Feature	Original	Port	Status
create_table (all types, timestamps, references, index), id: false, column ops, add_index (unique:, name:, where:), add_reference, FKs, execute, reversible change / up-down, change_table, create_join_table, check constraints, reversible blocks	✅	Same; partial indexes oracle-verified via dumps	✅
crails db:migrate / rollback / schema:dump / schema:load	✅	Dumps db/schema.cr (primary) + db/schema.yml (codegen input; columns + indexes with name/columns/unique/where, implicit PK skipped); schema:load recompiles a runner (~1 s, deliberate deviation from instant ruby db/schema.rb)	🔶
db/schema.cr ↔ schema.rb	✅	Byte-identical syntax to 8.1.4 (ActiveRecord::Schema[8.1].define, force: :cascade, t.index, t.check_constraint, enable_extension, add_foreign_key); differences: require "active_record_cr" header, typed empty literals ([] of Int64); expression defaults (now()) are not dumped	🔶

Enums, stores, STI, misc

Feature	Original	Port	Status
enum status: [...] → predicates/bang-methods/scopes	✅	Macro ar_enum (enum is a keyword); getter returns String, unmapped DB values read as nil (8.1, oracle-verified); int and string values (index_by(&:itself))	✅
store / store_accessor	✅	jsonb out of the box, StoreProxy container	✅
serialize	✅	JSON coder only (Rails' YAML default not ported); text column ↔ JSON roundtrip; mutating a read container is not tracked — assign a new one	🔶
alias_attribute	✅	Getter/setter + where resolution	✅
accepts_nested_attributes_for	✅	has_many with autosave semantics, allow_destroy:, reject_if: :all_blank; belongs_to form ⬜; setter is explicit (model.n_posts_attributes = [...])	🔶
cache_key, has_secure_token, attr_readonly, to_param, signed_id	✅	cache_key ✅, has_secure_token ✅ (24 hex), attr_readonly ✅ (silently ignored, oracle-verified); to_param ⬜; signed_id ❌ (MessageVerifier not available outside a Rails app)	🔶
STI (type column)	✅	One inheritance level: __read_row dispatch + becomes	✅
Runtime constantize	✅	Compile-time registry only	❌

Encryption (phase G)

Feature	Original	activerecord encryption	Port	Status
AES-256-GCM cipher, deterministic IV (HMAC-SHA256), Message + serializer (byte-exact JSON envelope), compression >140 B	✅	Same (EVP aes-256-gcm)	✅
Key providers: DerivedSecretKeyProvider / DeterministicKeyProvider (PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA1 2**16, AS::KeyGenerator)	✅	Same	✅
encrypts macro, Model.encrypted_attributes, #ciphertext_for, Model.where_encrypted	✅	Deterministic lookup (analog of ExtendedDeterministicQueries)	✅
Config: configure || ENV ACTIVE_RECORD_ENCRYPTION_* || defaults	✅	Same (ENV support is an extension)	✅
Envelope encryption / key references (k/i headers), previous: schemes, ignore_case original_* columns, NullEncryptor contexts	✅	Not ported	⬜

Deviations & Crystal-specific notes

• No method_missing, no runtime Symbols, no constantize, static typing — these power most ❌ rows above; equivalents are compile-time registries and codegen.
• Nilable finders cannot be unwrapped into a chain; persistence methods accept Hash, not keywords; virtual attributes via direct setters (details in the linked SEMANTICS doc of the umbrella project).
• Class variables are not shared with subclasses — state is accessed via explicit Base. receivers; transactions pin a connection to the fiber.

Testing

# fixture DB crails_ar_test + datalake read-only
psql -h /var/run/postgresql -U root -d postgres -c 'create database crails_ar_test owner root'
psql -h /var/run/postgresql -U root -d crails_ar_test -f spec/fixtures/seed.sql
crystal spec

Oracle-first development: oracle/cases.rb + oracle/migrations.rb / oracle/schema.rb are recorded against real activerecord 8.1.4; mirror specs in spec/oracle_spec.cr / spec/migrations_spec.cr / spec/schema_spec.cr reproduce the expected files without editing the cases. Encryption parity: 26 Ruby cases + a reverse check where the real gem decrypts port ciphertexts (oracle/verify_encryption.rb).