Molecule

What is it?

Molecule is a Scala eco-system to define your domain Data Model and use that as your query language.

Molecule uses the powerful Datomic database.

Why use it?

Express queries more intuitively than ever possible - since it’s your language.
Enjoy having the compiler enforce that your Data Model and data stay in sync.
Dynamically compose the exact data structures/molecules that your business logic needs.
Avoid traditional over-fetching with rigid bloating domain classes.
Leverage built-in auditing, time-travel etc of the powerful Datomic database.
Let go of “query construction” and a separate “query language”.
Save time, increase clarity and have more fun!

How does it work?

Scala macros transform a model of your domain data into query and transaction tokens that can be run directly against a server-side database to save and retrieve typed data:

Domain Data Model

trait Person {
  val name    = oneString
  val age     = oneInt
  val address = one[Address]
}
trait Address {
  val street = oneString
}

Typed transactions and queries with the tokens of your domain model

Person.name.age.Address.street insert List(
  ("Lisa", 20, "Broadway"),
  ("John", 24, "5th Avenue")
)

Person.name.age.Address.street.get === List(
  ("Lisa", 20, "Broadway"),
  ("John", 24, "5th Avenue")
)

Is there a future here?

Molecule is just a thin DataModel-to-query Scala translation layer on top of the heavy-weight Datomic database made by industry leaders like Rich Hickey, Stuart Halloway and more from Cognitect, the people behind the Clojure Language.

Datomic serves huge complex systems like Walmart, Nubank in Brasil and many more industries. If you want expressive power over a complex domain, Datomic and Molecule will serve you well.

Can I try it out quickly?

Yes:

git clone https://github.com/scalamolecule/molecule-demo.git

Open the demo project in your IDE and run molecule queries with a ready-to-run in-memory database, no configuration. Make your own molecules and test straight away, or add new attributes to use. Or look at other database setups.

Philosophy…