A single system, compiled.

Three principles

1. Trust the compiler. If it builds, the parts fit together. But a compiler can only enforce what it knows.
2. Declare intent. Say what you want, and don’t decide how. Once you choose the implementation, nothing can tell what you meant.
3. Describe the entire system. Not only the data. How the parts interact, and how it runs: operating it, securing it and paying for it.

What it looks like

Data, an access rule, a query, a workflow and a route, in one description. Nothing here names a database, an index, a queue or a server.

model Request {
  id: u64 key auto
  applicant: u64
  question: text(max: 4KiB)
  answer: text(max: 4KiB)?
}
visible Request = viewer.manager

fn my_requests() {
  [for row in Request if row.applicant == viewer.id select row]
}

workflow approval {
  revision v1(token: u64) {
    state Asking(token: u64) {
      do proposer.propose(request)
      on Returned(report) -> AwaitingApproval(token, report)
      on Unknown(reason)  -> Uncertain(token, reason)
    }
    state AwaitingApproval(token: u64, report: Agents.ProposalReport) {
      after 5m   -> Expired(token)
      on Approve -> Committing(token, report)
      on Reject  -> Rejected(token)
    }
    // more states
  }
}

exports server {
  http { POST "/requests" calls demo.submit { access user } }
}

Trimmed from Score in development. The syntax is still changing.

What the compiler builds from it

• Storage and search engines chosen to fit
• The application server and sign-in
• Workflows and agents that survive a restart
• Limits on every outside call
• Automatic migrations
• One command to release
• Admission control, end to end
• Operations, without Kubernetes

Read the full design: what each part does, the choices behind it, what is claimed and what isn’t, and the roadmap.

Who

I’m Doug Tarr. I spent eight years at MongoDB, where I was VP of Engineering for Search & Inference. I’m building MelodyDB on my own, with coding agents, and plan to open the source. I write at douglastarr.com, and you can reach me at [email protected] or on X at @doug_tarr.