Peri is a data description library for Elixir, in the spirit of Clojure's
Plumatic Schema and Metosin's Malli. A schema is plain Elixir data: atoms
like :string, literals like {:literal, 42}, tuples, maps, keyword lists,
composed however the data demands. There is no separate DSL to learn; the
schema language is Elixir itself. Peri is data, Peri is Elixir.
Because schemas are data, they are programmable: the same definition can validate structs, coerce string params at the boundary, generate test data, export JSON Schema, build Ecto changesets, or render Phoenix forms.
Installation
defp deps do
[
{:peri, "~> 0.11.1"} # x-release-please-version
]
endQuick Start
defmodule MyApp.Schemas do
import Peri
defschema :user, %{
name: {:required, :string},
age: {:integer, gte: 18},
role: {:enum, [:admin, :user, :guest]}
}
defschema :search, %{
page: {:coerce, :integer},
tags: {:coerce, {:list, :string}, split: ","}
}
end
MyApp.Schemas.user(%{name: "John", age: 25, role: :user})
# => {:ok, %{name: "John", age: 25, role: :user}}
# Boundary data arrives as strings; {:coerce, ...} types it.
MyApp.Schemas.search(%{"page" => "2", "tags" => "elixir,otp"})
# => {:ok, %{page: 2, tags: ["elixir", "otp"]}}Guides
- Schema types and directives: the full type vocabulary,
basic and time types, collections, enums, literals, constraints,
coercion/encoding,
{:meta, ...}, custom error messages, schema transformation withPeri.walk/2 - Validation semantics: strict/permissive modes,
:condand:dependentcallbacks and their arities, custom validators, error context, decoding and encoding wire data - Data generation:
Peri.generate/1, constraint-aware generators,gen:overrides, property-based testing - JSON Schema export:
Peri.to_json_schema/1 - Ecto integration: changesets and custom Ecto types
- Phoenix integration: form and params bridging
- Schema refs: reusable named schemas via
{:ref, ...}
Summary
Functions
Checks if the given data conforms to the specified schema.
Decodes wire data against a schema.
Defines a schema with a given name and schema definition.
Encodes data against a schema, producing its wire representation.
Drops the given top-level keys from a map schema.
Decodes a JSON Schema (Draft 7) map into a Peri schema.
Generates sample data based on the given schema definition using StreamData.
Checks if the given data is an enumerable, specifically a map or a list.
Checks if the given data is a numeric value, specifically a integer or a float.
Checks if the given type as an atom is a numeric (integer or float).
Deep merges two map schemas into a new one.
Helper function to put a value into an enum, handling not only maps and keyword lists but also structs.
Keeps only the given top-level keys of a map schema.
Converts a Peri.schema() definition to an Ecto schemaless changesets.
Converts a Peri schema into a JSON Schema (Draft 7) map.
Validates a given data map against a schema with options.
Validates a schema definition to ensure it adheres to the expected structure and types.
Depth-first rewrite of a schema tree.
Types
@type coerce_def() :: {:coerce, schema_def()} | {:coerce, schema_def(), keyword()} | {:coerce, coerce_source(), schema_def()} | {:coerce, coerce_source(), schema_def(), keyword()}
@type cond_def() :: {:cond, condition :: (term() -> boolean()), true_branch :: schema_def(), else_branch :: schema_def()} | {:cond, condition :: (current :: term(), root :: term() -> boolean()), true_branch :: schema_def(), else_branch :: schema_def()}
@type default_def() :: {schema_def(), {:default, term()}} | {schema_def(), {:default, (-> term())}} | {schema_def(), {:default, {module(), atom()}}}
@type dependent_def() :: {:dependent, field :: atom(), validation(), type :: schema_def()} | {:dependent, (term() -> {:ok, schema_def() | nil} | {:error, template :: String.t(), context :: map() | keyword()})} | {:dependent, (current :: term(), root :: term() -> {:ok, schema_def() | nil} | {:error, template :: String.t(), context :: map() | keyword()})}
@type encode_def() :: {schema_def(), {:encode, (term() -> term())}} | {schema_def(), {:encode, {module(), atom()}}} | {schema_def(), {:encode, {module(), atom(), [term()]}}}
@type explicit_schema_def() :: {:schema, schema()} | {:schema, map_schema(), {:additional_keys, schema_def()}}
@type float_def() :: :float | {:float, numeric_option(float()) | [numeric_option(float())]}
@type int_def() :: :integer | {:integer, numeric_option(integer()) | [numeric_option(integer())]}
@type map_schema() :: %{required(String.t() | atom()) => schema_def()}
@type numeric_option(type) ::
{:eq, type}
| {:neq, type}
| {:lt, type}
| {:lte, type}
| {:gt, type}
| {:gte, type}
| {:range, {min :: type, max :: type}}
@type schema() :: schema_def() | map_schema() | [{atom(), schema_def()}]
@type schema_def() :: :any | :atom | :atom! | :boolean | :map | :pid | {:either, {schema_def(), schema_def()}} | {:oneof, [schema_def()]} | {:required, schema_def()} | {:meta, schema_def(), keyword()} | {:ref, atom()} | {:ref, {module(), atom()}} | {:multi, atom(), %{optional(term()) => schema_def()}} | {:enum, [term()]} | {:enum, [term()], keyword()} | {:list, schema_def()} | {:map, schema_def()} | {:map, key_type :: schema_def(), value_type :: schema_def()} | {:tuple, [schema_def()]} | {:literal, literal()} | time_def() | string_def() | int_def() | float_def() | default_def() | transform_def() | custom_def() | coerce_def() | encode_def()
@type string_def() :: :string | {:string, string_option() | [string_option()]}
@type time_def() :: :time | :date | :datetime | :naive_datetime | :duration
@type transform_def() :: {schema_def(), {:transform, (term() -> term()) | (term(), term() -> term())}} | {schema_def(), {:transform, {module(), atom()}}} | {schema_def(), {:transform, {module(), atom(), [term()]}}}
@type validation() :: (term() -> validation_result())
Functions
Checks if the given data conforms to the specified schema.
Parameters
schema: The schema definition to validate against.data: The data to be validated.
Options
:mode- Validation mode. Can be:strict(default) or:permissive.:strict- Only fields defined in the schema are returned.:permissive- All fields from the input data are preserved.
Returns
trueif the data conforms to the schema.falseif the data does not conform to the schema.
Examples
iex> schema = %{name: :string, age: :integer}
iex> data = %{name: "Alice", age: 30}
iex> Peri.conforms?(schema, data)
true
iex> invalid_data = %{name: "Alice", age: "thirty"}
iex> Peri.conforms?(schema, invalid_data)
false
Decodes wire data against a schema.
Coercion is a schema directive, so decoding is exactly validate/3:
{:coerce, source, target} fields convert their source representation
into the target type, and values already matching the target pass through
unchanged.
Accepts the same options as validate/3 and returns the same shape.
Examples
iex> schema = %{page: {:coerce, :string, :integer}}
iex> Peri.decode(schema, %{"page" => "2"})
{:ok, %{page: 2}}
iex> schema = %{page: {:coerce, :string, :integer}}
iex> Peri.decode(schema, %{page: 2})
{:ok, %{page: 2}}
Defines a schema with a given name and schema definition.
Examples
defmodule MySchemas do
import Peri
defschema :user, %{
name: :string,
age: :integer,
email: {:required, :string}
}
# With permissive mode
defschema :flexible_user, %{
name: :string,
email: {:required, :string}
}, mode: :permissive
# With metadata (field-level and schema-level)
defschema :documented_user, %{
email: {:meta, {:required, :string}, doc: "Login email", example: "a@b.io"}
}, title: "User", description: "Account holder"
end
# Schema-level metadata is accessible via __schema_meta__/1:
MySchemas.__schema_meta__(:documented_user)
# => [title: "User", description: "Account holder"]
user_data = %{name: "John", age: 30, email: "john@example.com"}
MySchemas.user(user_data)
# => {:ok, %{name: "John", age: 30, email: "john@example.com"}}
invalid_data = %{name: "John", age: 30}
MySchemas.user(invalid_data)
# => {:error, [email: "is required"]}
# Permissive mode preserves extra fields
flexible_data = %{name: "John", email: "john@example.com", role: "admin"}
MySchemas.flexible_user(flexible_data)
# => {:ok, %{name: "John", email: "john@example.com", role: "admin"}}
Encodes data against a schema, producing its wire representation.
Validates data against the schema (target types), then applies the
reverse of each codec directive:
{:coerce, source, target}- built-in:stringsources render withto_string/1(to_iso8601/1for date/time structs); when theencode:opt is given, that function/MFA is applied instead. Custom function/MFA sources without anencode:opt pass the validated value through unchanged.{type, {:encode, fun}}- appliesfun(or MFA) to the validated value. This directive is inert undervalidate/3anddecode/3.{:transform, fun}- skipped; transforms are decode-only.
Accepts the same options as validate/3 and returns the same shape.
Examples
iex> schema = %{page: {:coerce, :string, :integer}}
iex> Peri.encode(schema, %{page: 2})
{:ok, %{page: "2"}}
iex> schema = %{upcased: {:string, {:encode, &String.downcase/1}}}
iex> Peri.encode(schema, %{upcased: "HELLO"})
{:ok, %{upcased: "hello"}}
@spec except(map_schema(), [atom() | String.t()]) :: {:ok, map_schema()} | {:error, [Peri.Error.t()]}
Drops the given top-level keys from a map schema.
Keys not present in the schema are ignored. The resulting schema is checked
with validate_schema/1, returning its error tuple when invalid.
Examples
iex> Peri.except(%{name: :string, age: :integer}, [:age])
{:ok, %{name: :string}}
iex> Peri.except(%{name: :string}, [:missing])
{:ok, %{name: :string}}
@spec from_json_schema(map(), [opt]) :: {:ok, schema()} | {:error, term()} when opt: {:keys, :strings | :atoms | :atoms!}
Decodes a JSON Schema (Draft 7) map into a Peri schema.
Returns {:ok, schema} if the resulting Peri schema is valid, otherwise
{:error, errors}.
Generates sample data based on the given schema definition using StreamData.
This function validates the schema first, and if the schema is valid, it uses the
Peri.Generatable.gen/1 function to generate data according to the schema.
Note that this function returns a Stream, so you traverse easily the data generations.
Parameters
schema: The schema definition to generate data for.
Returns
{:ok, stream}if the data is successfully generated.{:error, errors}if there are validation errors in the schema.
Examples
iex> schema = %{name: :string, age: {:integer, {:range, {18, 65}}}}
iex> {:ok, stream} = Peri.generate(schema)
iex> [data] = Enum.take(stream, 1)
iex> is_map(data)
true
iex> data[:age] in 18..65
true
Checks if the given data is an enumerable, specifically a map or a list.
Parameters
data: The data to check.
Examples
iex> is_enumerable(%{})
true
iex> is_enumerable([])
true
iex> is_enumerable(123)
false
iex> is_enumerable("string")
false
Checks if the given data is a numeric value, specifically a integer or a float.
Parameters
data: The data to check.
Examples
iex> is_numeric(123)
true
iex> is_numeric(0xFF)
true
iex> is_numeric(12.12)
true
iex> is_numeric("string")
false
iex> is_numeric(%{})
false
Checks if the given type as an atom is a numeric (integer or float).
Parameters
data: The data to check.
Examples
iex> is_numeric(:integer)
true
iex> is_numeric(:float)
true
iex> is_numeric(:list)
false
iex> is_numeric({:enum, _})
false
@spec merge(map_schema(), map_schema()) :: {:ok, map_schema()} | {:error, [Peri.Error.t()]}
Deep merges two map schemas into a new one.
When both schemas define the same key as a plain map (a nested schema), the nested schemas are merged recursively. Otherwise the value from the right side wins: type tuples and directives are never merged structurally.
The resulting schema is checked with validate_schema/1, returning its
error tuple when the composed schema is invalid.
Examples
iex> Peri.merge(%{name: :string}, %{age: :integer})
{:ok, %{name: :string, age: :integer}}
iex> Peri.merge(%{name: :string}, %{name: :atom})
{:ok, %{name: :atom}}
iex> Peri.merge(%{user: %{name: :string}}, %{user: %{age: :integer}})
{:ok, %{user: %{name: :string, age: :integer}}}
Helper function to put a value into an enum, handling not only maps and keyword lists but also structs.
Examples
iex> Peri.put_in_enum(%{}, :hello, "world")
iex> Peri.put_in_enum(%{}, "hello", "world")
iex> Peri.put_in_enum(%User{}, :hello, "world")
iex> Peri.put_in_enum([], :hello, "world")
@spec select(map_schema(), [atom() | String.t()]) :: {:ok, map_schema()} | {:error, [Peri.Error.t()]}
Keeps only the given top-level keys of a map schema.
Keys not present in the schema are ignored. The resulting schema is checked
with validate_schema/1, returning its error tuple when invalid.
Examples
iex> Peri.select(%{name: :string, age: :integer}, [:name])
{:ok, %{name: :string}}
iex> Peri.select(%{name: :string}, [:name, :missing])
{:ok, %{name: :string}}
@spec to_changeset!(schema(), attrs :: map()) :: Ecto.Changeset.t()
Converts a Peri.schema() definition to an Ecto schemaless changesets.
@spec to_json_schema(schema(), Peri.JSONSchema.Encoder.opts()) :: map()
Converts a Peri schema into a JSON Schema (Draft 7) map.
Reads {:meta, type, opts} annotations and emits title, description,
examples, deprecated. Dynamic types degrade per :on_unsupported
(:omit | :true_schema | :raise, default :omit).
Pass :exclude_meta_keys to drop annotation keywords from the output —
commonly [:default] when the consumer-facing schema should not surface
validation defaults.
Examples
iex> Peri.to_json_schema(%{name: {:required, :string}})
%{"type" => "object", "properties" => %{"name" => %{"type" => "string"}}, "required" => ["name"]}
iex> Peri.to_json_schema({:integer, {:default, 0}}, exclude_meta_keys: [:default])
%{"type" => "integer"}
Validates a given data map against a schema with options.
Returns {:ok, data} if the data is valid according to the schema, or {:error, errors} if there are validation errors.
Parameters
- schema: The schema definition map.
- data: The data map to be validated.
- opts: Options for validation.
Options
:mode- Validation mode. Can be:strict(default) or:permissive.:strict- Only fields defined in the schema are returned.:permissive- All fields from the input data are preserved.
Examples
schema = %{name: :string, age: :integer}
data = %{name: "John", age: 30, extra: "field"}
# Strict mode (default)
Peri.validate(schema, data)
# => {:ok, %{name: "John", age: 30}}
# Permissive mode
Peri.validate(schema, data, mode: :permissive)
# => {:ok, %{name: "John", age: 30, extra: "field"}}
Validates a schema definition to ensure it adheres to the expected structure and types.
This function can handle both simple and complex schema definitions, including nested schemas, custom validation functions, and various type constraints.
Parameters
schema- The schema definition to be validated. It can be a map or a keyword list representing the schema.
Returns
{:ok, schema}- If the schema is valid, returns the original schema.{:error, errors}- If the schema is invalid, returns an error tuple with detailed error information.
Examples
Validating a simple schema:
schema = %{
name: :string,
age: :integer,
email: {:required, :string}
}
assert {:ok, ^schema} = validate_schema(schema)Validating a nested schema:
schema = %{
user: %{
name: :string,
profile: %{
age: {:required, :integer},
email: {:required, :string}
}
}
}
assert {:ok, ^schema} = validate_schema(schema)Handling invalid schema definition:
schema = %{
name: :str,
age: :integer,
email: {:required, :string}
}
assert {:error, _errors} = validate_schema(schema)
@spec walk(schema(), Peri.Walker.walker_fun()) :: schema()
Depth-first rewrite of a schema tree.
The callback is invoked on every subtree (pre-order). It must return either
{:cont, new_node} to replace the node and continue, or :drop to remove it
(only valid for values inside a map or keyword schema).
Building block for transforms like "make every field optional" or "strip
internal-only fields from a public DTO". See Peri.Walker for details.
Examples
iex> schema = %{name: {:required, :string}, age: {:required, :integer}}
iex> Peri.walk(schema, fn
...> {:required, t} -> {:cont, t}
...> other -> {:cont, other}
...> end)
%{name: :string, age: :integer}