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Noratrieb committed Sep 24, 2024
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This chapter is based on the explanation given by Niko Matsakis in this
[video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_muY4HjSqVw) about
[`Salsa`](https://github.com/salsa-rs/salsa). To find out more you may
want to watch [`Salsa` In More
[Salsa](https://github.com/salsa-rs/salsa). To find out more you may
want to watch [Salsa In More
Depth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_IhACacPRY), also by Niko
Matsakis.

> As of <!-- date-check --> November 2022, although `Salsa` is inspired by (among
> other things) `rustc`'s query system, it is not used directly in `rustc`. It
> _is_ used in [chalk], an implementation of Rust's `trait` system, and
> As of <!-- date-check --> November 2022, although Salsa is inspired by (among
> other things) rustc's query system, it is not used directly in rustc. It
> _is_ used in [chalk], an implementation of Rust's trait system, and
> extensively in [`rust-analyzer`], the official implementation of the language
> server protocol for Rust, but there are no medium or long-term concrete
> plans to integrate it into the compiler.
Expand All @@ -21,46 +21,46 @@ Matsakis.

## What is Salsa?

`Salsa` is a library for incremental recomputation. This means it allows reusing
Salsa is a library for incremental recomputation. This means it allows reusing
computations that were already done in the past to increase the efficiency
of future computations.

The objectives of `Salsa` are:
The objectives of Salsa are:
* Provide that functionality in an automatic way, so reusing old computations
is done automatically by the library.
* Doing so in a "sound", or "correct", way, therefore leading to the same
results as if it had been done from scratch.

`Salsa`'s actual model is much richer, allowing many kinds of inputs and many
different outputs. For example, integrating `Salsa` with an IDE could mean that
Salsa's actual model is much richer, allowing many kinds of inputs and many different outputs.
For example, integrating Salsa with an IDE could mean that
the inputs could be manifests (`Cargo.toml`, `rust-toolchain.toml`), entire
source files (`foo.rs`), snippets and so on. The outputs of such an integration
could range from a binary executable, to lints, types (for example, if a user
selects a certain variable and wishes to see its type), completions, etc.

## How does it work?

The first thing that `Salsa` has to do is identify the "base inputs" that
The first thing that Salsa has to do is identify the "base inputs" that
are not something computed but given as input.

Then `Salsa` has to also identify intermediate, "derived" values, which are
Then Salsa has to also identify intermediate, "derived" values, which are
something that the library produces, but, for each derived value there's a
"pure" function that computes the derived value.

For example, there might be a function `ast(x: Path) -> AST`. The produced
Abstract Syntax Tree (`AST`) isn't a final value, it's an intermediate value
that the library would use for the computation.

This means that when you try to compute with the library, `Salsa` is going to
This means that when you try to compute with the library, Salsa is going to
compute various derived values, and eventually read the input and produce the
result for the asked computation.

In the course of computing, `Salsa` tracks which inputs were accessed and which
In the course of computing, Salsa tracks which inputs were accessed and which
values are derived. This information is used to determine what's going to
happen when the inputs change: are the derived values still valid?

This doesn't necessarily mean that each computation downstream from the input
is going to be checked, which could be costly. `Salsa` only needs to check each
is going to be checked, which could be costly. Salsa only needs to check each
downstream computation until it finds one that isn't changed. At that point, it
won't check other derived computations since they wouldn't need to change.

Expand All @@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ J <- B <--+

When an input `I` changes, the derived value `A` could change. The derived
value `B`, which does not depend on `I`, `A`, or any value derived from `A` or
`I`, is not subject to change. Therefore, `Salsa` can reuse the computation done
`I`, is not subject to change. Therefore, Salsa can reuse the computation done
for `B` in the past, without having to compute it again.

The computation could also terminate early. Keeping the same graph as before,
Expand All @@ -86,18 +86,18 @@ computation. This leads to an "early termination", because there's no need to
check if `C` needs to change, since both `C` direct inputs, `A` and `B`,
haven't changed.

## Key `Salsa` concepts
## Key Salsa concepts

### Query

A query is some value that `Salsa` can access in the course of computation. Each
A query is some value that Salsa can access in the course of computation. Each
query can have a number of keys (from 0 to many), and all queries have a
result, akin to functions. `0-key` queries are called "input" queries.

### Database

The database is basically the context for the entire computation, it's meant to
store `Salsa`'s internal state, all intermediate values for each query, and
store Salsa's internal state, all intermediate values for each query, and
anything else that the computation might need. The database must know all the
queries the library is going to do before it can be built, but they don't need
to be specified in the same place.
Expand All @@ -116,14 +116,14 @@ potentially invalidated.

A query group is a set of queries which have been defined together as a unit.
The database is formed by combining query groups. Query groups are akin to
"`Salsa` modules".
"Salsa modules".

A set of queries in a query group are just a set of methods in a `trait`.
A set of queries in a query group are just a set of methods in a trait.

To create a query group a `trait` annotated with a specific attribute
To create a query group a trait annotated with a specific attribute
(`#[salsa::query_group(...)]`) has to be created.

An argument must also be provided to said attribute as it will be used by `Salsa`
An argument must also be provided to said attribute as it will be used by Salsa
to create a `struct` to be used later when the database is created.

Example input query group:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ pub trait Parser: Inputs {

When creating a derived query the implementation of said query must be defined
outside the trait. The definition must take a database parameter as an `impl
Trait` (or `dyn Trait`), where `Trait` is the query group that the definition
Trait` (or `dyn Trait`), where trait is the query group that the definition
belongs to, in addition to the other keys.

```rust,ignore
Expand Down

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