Catalog Manager

The Catalog Manager is a core subsystem of RookDB responsible for managing all database metadata — the information that describes databases, tables, columns, constraints, indexes, and data types. It replaces the original JSON-based catalog (catalog.json) with a self-hosting, page-based storage system modelled after PostgreSQL's system catalogs.

Key Features

• Page-based catalog storage using the same slotted-page format as user tables
• Self-hosting architecture — system catalogs describe themselves
• OID (Object Identifier) system for uniquely identifying every database object
• Comprehensive constraint support — Primary Key, Foreign Key, Unique, NOT NULL, Check
• B-Tree index management for efficient constraint enforcement
• In-memory LRU cache with DDL-triggered invalidation
• Dual-mode operation — legacy JSON and page-based backends
• Buffer Manager integration for efficient I/O

Documentation

• Overview — Motivation, goals, and high-level design
• Architecture — Storage architecture, directory layout, and buffer integration
• System Catalogs — Schema definitions for all six system catalog tables
• Data Structures — Rust data types powering the catalog
• API Reference — Public API functions and their signatures
• Implementation Notes — Design corrections and deviations from the original proposal
• Physical Storage — Byte-level layout of catalog pages and serialization