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Default Message Mappers

Using Default Message Mappers

You do not need to implement IAmAMessageMapper for every message type.

In earlier versions, every message sent via an external bus required a message mapper implementation. This created duplicated code when in many cases, what was required was to take details from your Publication and then serialize the body to JSON.

To prevent this, Brighter provides default message mappers that handle common serialization patterns automatically. For most use cases, you can use a default and only create custom mappers when you need specialized message transformation.

Default Mappers Provided

Brighter includes two default message mappers for JSON serialization:

1. JsonMessageMapper<T> (Binary-Mode CloudEvents)

The JsonMessageMapper<T> is the default mapper that uses JSON serialization with binary-mode CloudEvents.

Characteristics:

  • Serializes your Request (Command/Event) to JSON

  • Uses binary-mode CloudEvents (attributes in headers).

  • Populate CloudEvents headers from your Publication.

  • The default when using AutoFromAssemblies() or MapperRegistry when configuring Brighter, but you can override with your own defaultMessageMapper or asyncDefaultMessageMapper instead.

CloudEvents Mode: Binary (recommended for protocols with header support like RabbitMQ, Kafka)

2. CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<T> (Structured-Mode CloudEvents)

The CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<T> uses JSON serialization with structured-mode CloudEvents.

Characteristics:

  • Serializes your Request to JSON

  • Uses structured-mode CloudEvents (attributes in JSON body)

  • Populate CloudEvents headers from your Publication.

  • Can be set as default mapper

  • Useful for protocols without header support or with constrained header support (small number of headers)

CloudEvents Mode: Structured (recommended for AWS SNS/SQS)

How Default Mappers Work

Brighter looks for first for an explicit IAmAMessageMapper<T> registration. If none is found, it falls back to the default mapper.

Automatic Usage (No Registration Needed)

This is the simplest and recommended approach for most scenarios:

services.AddBrighter(options =>
{
    options.HandlerLifetime = ServiceLifetime.Scoped;
})
.AddProducers(configure =>
{
    configure.ProducerRegistry = new RabbitMQProducerRegistryFactory(
        new RmqMessagingGatewayConnection { /* ... */ },
        [
            new Publication
            {
                Topic = new RoutingKey("orders.created"),
                RequestType = typeof(OrderCreated),
                Source = new Uri("https://example.com/orders"),
                Type = new CloudEventsType("com.example.order.created")
            }
        ]
    ).Create();
})
.AutoFromAssemblies([typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly]);

// No message mapper registration needed!
// Brighter will use JsonMessageMapper<OrderCreated> automatically

When you publish an OrderCreated event:

await _commandProcessor.PublishAsync(new OrderCreated
{
    Id = Guid.NewGuid().ToString(),
    CustomerId = "12345",
    Total = 99.99m
});

Brighter automatically:

  1. Uses JsonMessageMapper<OrderCreated>

  2. Serializes to JSON

  3. Applies CloudEvents headers from Publication

  4. Sends the message with binary-mode CloudEvents

Choosing a Different Default Mapper

You can configure which default mapper to use:

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly],
        defaultMessageMapper: typeof(CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<>),      // For producers
        asyncDefaultMessageMapper: typeof(CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<>)  // For async producers
    );

This configures structured-mode CloudEvents as the default, useful when your primary transport is AWS SNS/SQS.

When You Need Custom Message Mappers

While default mappers handle most scenarios, you still need custom IAmAMessageMapper implementations in these cases:

1. Non-JSON Serialization Formats

If you need a format other than JSON (Avro, ProtoBuf, XML, etc.) You can register your own default message mapper for these:

public class AvroMessageMapper<T> : IAmAMessageMapper<T> where T : class, IRequest
{

    private ISchemaRegistryClient _schemaRegistry;
    private IEnumerable<KeyValuePair<string, string>> _config; 

    public IRequestContext? Context { get; set; }

    public AvroMessageMapper<T>(ISchemaRegistryClient schemaRegistry, IEnumerable<KeyValuePair<string, string>> config) 
    {
        _schemaRegistry = schemaRegistry;
        _config = config;        
    }

    public Message MapToMessage(T request, Publication publication)
    {
        var header = new MessageHeader(
            messageId: request.Id,
            topic: publication.Topic,
            messageType: MessageType.MT_EVENT
        );

        // Serialize using Avro
        var avroSerializer = new AvroSerializer<T>(_schemaRegistry, _config);
        var body = new MessageBody(
            avroSerializer.SerializeAsync(request).AsSyncOverAsync(),
            CharacterEncoding.Raw
        );

        return new Message(header, body);
    }

    public T MapToRequest(Message message)
    {
        var avroDeserializer = new AvroDeserializer<T>();
        return avroDeserializer.DeserializeAsync(message.Body.Bytes).AsSyncOverAsync();
    }
}

// Register as your default mapper
services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly],
        defaultMessageMapper: typeof(AvroMessageMapper<>)
    );

2. Transform Pipelines

When you need message transformation (Claim Check, Compression, Encryption, PII removal, etc.), you must use a custom mapper with transform attributes.

Transform Pipeline Example

Transform attributes allow you to apply transformations to messages as they're mapped. This is a powerful pattern for cross-cutting concerns like handling large messages, compression, or encryption.

Claim Check Transform

The Claim Check pattern stores large message payloads externally (e.g., S3) and sends only a reference in the message.

Here's a real example from the Brighter samples:

public class GreetingEventMessageMapper : IAmAMessageMapper<GreetingEvent>
{
    public IRequestContext? Context { get; set; }

    [ClaimCheck(step: 0, thresholdInKb: 256)]
    public Message MapToMessage(GreetingEvent request, Publication publication)
    {
        var header = new MessageHeader(
            messageId: request.Id,
            topic: publication.Topic,
            messageType: MessageType.MT_EVENT
        );

        var body = new MessageBody(
            JsonSerializer.Serialize(request, JsonSerialisationOptions.Options)
        );

        var message = new Message(header, body);
        return message;
    }

    [RetrieveClaim(step: 0)]
    public GreetingEvent MapToRequest(Message message)
    {
        var greetingEvent = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<GreetingEvent>(
            message.Body.Value,
            JsonSerialisationOptions.Options
        );

        return greetingEvent!;
    }
}

How it works:

On Send (MapToMessage):

  1. Handler serializes GreetingEvent to JSON

  2. [ClaimCheck] attribute checks message size

  3. If > 256KB, uploads payload to luggage store (e.g., S3)

  4. Replaces body with reference (uses CloudEvents dataref extension)

  5. Sends lightweight message with just the reference

On Receive (MapToRequest):

  1. [RetrieveClaim] attribute checks for dataref

  2. If present, downloads payload from luggage store

  3. Replaces message body with actual payload

  4. Deserializes to GreetingEvent

Compression Transform

Similarly, you can compress messages:

public class CompressedOrderMapper : IAmAMessageMapper<LargeOrder>
{
    public IRequestContext? Context { get; set; }

    [Compress(step: 0, compressionType: CompressionType.Gzip)]
    public Message MapToMessage(LargeOrder request, Publication publication)
    {
        var header = new MessageHeader(
            messageId: request.Id,
            topic: publication.Topic,
            messageType: MessageType.MT_EVENT
        );

        var body = new MessageBody(
            JsonSerializer.Serialize(request, JsonSerialisationOptions.Options)
        );

        return new Message(header, body);
    }

    [Decompress(step: 0)]
    public LargeOrder MapToRequest(Message message)
    {
        var order = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<LargeOrder>(
            message.Body.Value,
            JsonSerialisationOptions.Options
        );

        return order!;
    }
}

Chaining Multiple Transforms

You can chain transforms by using different step numbers:

public class SecureLargeOrderMapper : IAmAMessageMapper<SensitiveOrder>
{
    public IRequestContext? Context { get; set; }

    [RemovePII(step: 0)]                          // First: Remove PII
    [Compress(step: 1, compressionType: CompressionType.Gzip)]  // Second: Compress
    [ClaimCheck(step: 2, thresholdInKb: 512)]     // Third: Claim check if still large
    public Message MapToMessage(SensitiveOrder request, Publication publication)
    {
        // Standard serialization
        var header = new MessageHeader(
            messageId: request.Id,
            topic: publication.Topic,
            messageType: MessageType.MT_EVENT
        );

        var body = new MessageBody(
            JsonSerializer.Serialize(request, JsonSerialisationOptions.Options)
        );

        return new Message(header, body);
    }

    [RetrieveClaim(step: 0)]                      // First: Retrieve if claim checked
    [Decompress(step: 1)]                         // Second: Decompress
    [RestorePII(step: 2)]                         // Third: Restore PII
    public SensitiveOrder MapToRequest(Message message)
    {
        var order = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<SensitiveOrder>(
            message.Body.Value,
            JsonSerialisationOptions.Options
        );

        return order!;
    }
}

The transforms execute in order based on the step parameter. On receive, they execute in reverse order.

Registering Custom Mappers

Explicit Registration

If you have specific messages that need custom mappers, register them explicitly:

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly]
        // Other types will use default JsonMessageMapper<T>
    )
    .MapperRegistry(mappers =>
    {
        // Explicit registration for LargeOrder
        mappers.Register<LargeOrder, CompressedOrderMapper>();

        // Explicit registration for SensitiveOrder
        mappers.Register<SensitiveOrder, SecureLargeOrderMapper>();
    });

Configuration Reference

Using Default Binary-Mode Mapper (Recommended)

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies([typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly]);
// Uses JsonMessageMapper<T> with binary-mode CloudEvents

Using Structured-Mode as Default

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly],
        defaultMessageMapper: typeof(CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<>),
        asyncDefaultMessageMapper: typeof(CloudEventJsonMessageMapper<>)
    );
// Uses structured-mode CloudEvents (good for AWS SNS/SQS)

Custom Default Mapper (e.g., Avro)

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly],
        defaultMessageMapper: typeof(AvroMessageMapper<>),
        asyncDefaultMessageMapper: typeof(AvroMessageMapper<>)
    );
// All messages use Avro serialization by default

Mixed: Default + Custom Mappers

services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AddProducers(configure => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly]
        // Other messages use JsonMessageMapper<T>
    )
     .MapperRegistry(mappers =>
    {
        // Specific messages with transforms
        mappers.Regiter<LargeOrder, CompressedOrderMapper>();
        mappers.Register<SensitiveData, EncryptedMapper>();
    });

Best Practices

1. Start with Default Mappers

Use default JsonMessageMapper<T> for all new messages unless you have a specific need:

// ✅ Recommended - Simple and maintainable
services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies([typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly]);

2. Only Create Custom Mappers When Needed

Don't create custom mappers "just in case". Add them when you need:

  • Non-JSON formats (Avro, ProtoBuf)

  • Transform pipelines (Claim Check, Compression, Encryption)

  • Complex message routing logic

3. Configure CloudEvents in Publication

CloudEvents properties belong in Publication, not in mappers:

// Good - CloudEvents in Publication
new Publication
{
    Topic = new RoutingKey("orders"),
    RequestType = typeof(OrderCreated),
    Source = new Uri("https://example.com/orders"),
    Type = new CloudEventsType("com.example.order.created")
}

// Bad - Don't configure CloudEvents in mapper
// Let default mapper handle it from Publication or use transform

4. Use Transform Attributes for Cross-Cutting Concerns

Transform attributes are powerful for cross-cutting concerns:

// Good - Use transforms for large messages
[ClaimCheck(step: 0, thresholdInKb: 256)]
public Message MapToMessage(LargeEvent request, Publication publication)
{
    // Just serialize - transform handles storage
}

// Bad - Don't implement claim check logic in mapper
// Use the attribute-based transform pipeline

5. Be Consistent with Default Mapper Choice

Choose one default mapper strategy for your application:

// Good - Consistent default across all assemblies
services.AddBrighter(options => { })
    .AutoFromAssemblies(
        [typeof(OrderCreated).Assembly, typeof(CustomerCreated).Assembly],
        defaultMessageMapper: typeof(JsonMessageMapper<>)
    );

// Bad - Different defaults cause confusion
// Pick one and stick with it

Further Reading

Sample Code

Full working examples can be found in the Brighter samples:

  • Default Mappers: Brighter/samples/WebAPI/ - WebAPI sample using default mappers

  • ClaimCheck Transform: Brighter/samples/Transforms/AWSTransfomers/ClaimCheck/ - Claim check example

  • Compression: Brighter/samples/Transforms/ - Various transform examples

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