FUNCTIONS

Functions inside the database

Push logic to where the data lives. Define reusable SurrealQL functions, drop into JavaScript when you need it, and load sandboxed WebAssembly extensions in Rust - all executing in the same ACID transaction as your query, with no service to call and no data to ship over the wire.

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01 |IN-DATABASE LOGIC

From one-liners to compiled extensions

Custom functions, embedded JavaScript, and WebAssembly modules give you a ladder from a quick helper to native-speed compute, all callable directly from SurrealQL.

CUSTOM FUNCTIONS

Reusable logic, defined once

DEFINE FUNCTION stores named, typed procedures in the database. Call them from any query the way you call built-ins.

DEFINE FUNCTION fn::get::person(
    $first: string,
    $last: string,
    $birthday: string
) {
    LET $person = SELECT * FROM person WHERE
        first = $first AND
        last = $last AND
        birthday = $birthday;

    RETURN IF $person[0].id {
        $person[0]
    } ELSE {
        CREATE person SET
            first = $first,
            last = $last,
            birthday = $birthday
    };
};

LET $person = fn::get::person('Tobie', 'Morgan Hitchcock', '2007-06-22');

WEBASSEMBLY EXTENSIONS

Native-speed logic, sandboxed

Write an extension in Rust, compile it to a WebAssembly module, and load it into a running database. Its functions become callable from SurrealQL, sandboxed and inside the transaction.

DEFINE MODULE mod::sentiment
    FROM f"modules:/sentiment.surli" UNSIGNED;

UPDATE article SET
    sentiment = mod::sentiment::analyze(content),
    keywords = mod::sentiment::extract(content)
WHERE created_at > time::now() - 1h;

A full compute surface, next to your data

Built-in function families, custom procedures, scripting, and compiled extensions - every layer runs in the engine, in the transaction.

Custom functions

Typed, reusable SurrealQL procedures stored in the database and callable from any query.

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Built-in functions

Array, string, math, time, vector, geo, search, and more - hundreds of functions ready in the query language.

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JavaScript scripting

Drop into embedded JavaScript with the current record as context when SurrealQL is not enough.

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WebAssembly extensions

Write extensions in Rust, compile to WASM, and run them at near-native speed inside a sandbox.

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AI-ready by design

Call models and inference next to the data and write results back in a single statement.

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Hot-load, no downtime

Load and upgrade extension modules on a running instance without restarting the database.

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02 |ONE ENGINE

Move the compute to the data

Pulling rows into an application server, transforming them, and writing them back costs a round trip and breaks atomicity. Running the logic in the database removes both problems.