Migrating From Native SDK Shape

Tip

You do not need to rewrite a whole module at once. Start by modeling the module contract, then move handlers behind the typed builder group by group.

The Same Module, Both Ways

The native module and the equivalent effect-spacetimedb contract — declare the shape, then implement handlers behind the typed group:

Native SDK

import { schema, table, t } from "spacetimedb/server"

const spacetime = schema({
  user: table(
    { public: true },
    { id: t.string().primaryKey(), name: t.string() },
  ),
})

export const user_upsert = spacetime.reducer(
  { id: t.string(), name: t.string() },
  (ctx, { id, name }) => {
    ctx.db.user.insert({ id, name })
  },
)

export default spacetime

effect-spacetimedb

import * as Effect from "effect/Effect"
import * as Stdb from "effect-spacetimedb"

// 1. declare the contract
const user = Stdb.table("user", {
  public: true,
  columns: {
    id: Stdb.string().primaryKey(),
    name: Stdb.string(),
  },
})

const Users = Stdb.StdbGroup.make("Users").add(
  Stdb.StdbFn.reducer("user_upsert", {
    params: Stdb.struct({ id: Stdb.string(), name: Stdb.string() }),
  }),
)

const Module = Stdb.StdbModule.make("app").addTables(user).add(Users)
const { Db } = Module

// 2. implement handlers behind the typed group
const UsersLive = Stdb.StdbBuilder.group(Module, "Users", {
  user_upsert: (args) =>
    Effect.gen(function* () {
      const db = yield* Db
      yield* db.user.insert(args)
    }),
})

Native Shape To Contract Shape

Native concept	effect-spacetimedb concept
reducer function export	StdbFn.reducer(...) in a callable group
procedure function export	StdbFn.procedure(...) in a callable group
table builder	Stdb.table(...) bound to a variable
reducer/procedure onSchedule option	StdbFn.scheduledReducer(...) or scheduledProcedure(...)
HTTP handler export	StdbHttpGroup plus StdbBuilder.group(...)

Schedules are registered on the function, not the table: StdbFn.scheduledReducer(...) and scheduledProcedure(...) compile to the native onSchedule option, which is where SpacetimeDB now expects the binding. If you are porting a module that passes scheduled to table(...), that registration is deprecated upstream — drop it and declare the scheduled callable instead.

Suggested Order

1. Move schemas and table declarations into leaf files.
2. Declare groups without changing runtime behavior.
3. Assemble a module and destructure the typed accessors.
4. Port handlers one group at a time.
5. Generate the client and replace ad hoc call sites with projected clients.

Keep the runtime constraints in mind: module handlers must remain synchronous, deterministic, and transactional. Network calls, timers, and secrets belong outside reducers and are passed in as arguments or handled by external services.