Swiftdata

SwiftData

Persist, query, and manage structured data in iOS 26+ apps using SwiftData with Swift 6.3.

Contents

• Model Definition
• ModelContainer Setup
• CloudKit Sync
• CRUD Operations
• `@Query in SwiftUI`
• #Predicate
• FetchDescriptor
• Schema Versioning and Migration
• Core Data Coexistence Boundary
• Concurrency (`@ModelActor`)
• SwiftUI Integration
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Model Definition

Apply @Model to a class (not struct). It synthesizes PersistentModel conformance. Model instances remain context/actor-bound; pass their PersistentIdentifier, not the instance, across actors.

@Model
class Trip {
    var name: String
    var destination: String
    var startDate: Date
    var endDate: Date
    var isFavorite: Bool = false
    @Attribute(.externalStorage) var imageData: Data?
    @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade, inverse: \LivingAccommodation.trip)
    var accommodation: LivingAccommodation?
    @Transient var isSelected: Bool = false  // Always provide default

    init(name: String, destination: String, startDate: Date, endDate: Date) {
        self.name = name; self.destination = destination
        self.startDate = startDate; self.endDate = endDate
    }
}

`@Attribute` options: .externalStorage, .unique, .spotlight, .allowsCloudEncryption, .preserveValueOnDeletion, .ephemeral, .transformable(by:). Rename: @Attribute(originalName: "old_name").

`@Relationship`: deleteRule: .cascade/.nullify(default)/.deny/.noAction. Specify inverse: for reliable behavior. Unidirectional (iOS 18+): inverse: nil.

#Unique (iOS 18+): #Unique<Person>([\.firstName, \.lastName]) -- compound uniqueness.

Inheritance (iOS 26+): @Model class BusinessTrip: Trip { var company: String }.

Supported types: Bool, Int/UInt variants, Float, Double, String, Date, Data, URL, UUID, Decimal, Array, Dictionary, Set, Codable enums, Codable structs and other compatible Codable value types, and relationships to @Model classes.

ModelContainer Setup

// Basic
let container = try ModelContainer(for: Trip.self, LivingAccommodation.self)

// Configured
let config = ModelConfiguration("Store", isStoredInMemoryOnly: false,
    groupContainer: .identifier("group.com.example.app"),
    cloudKitDatabase: .private("iCloud.com.example.app"))
let container = try ModelContainer(for: Trip.self, configurations: config)

// With migration plan
let container = try ModelContainer(for: SchemaV2.Trip.self,
    migrationPlan: TripMigrationPlan.self)

// In-memory (previews/tests)
let container = try ModelContainer(for: Trip.self,
    configurations: ModelConfiguration(isStoredInMemoryOnly: true))

CloudKit Sync

ModelConfiguration(..., cloudKitDatabase:) opts a SwiftData store into automatic CloudKit sync, but app entitlements still gate sync.

For any SwiftData CloudKit setup or schema-review task, include a separate Capabilities verdict before schema findings:

• Capabilities: Xcode target has the iCloud capability with CloudKit enabled and the intended container selected, plus Background Modes > Remote notifications. Without these entitlements, automatic sync is not fully configured even if cloudKitDatabase is set.
• Schema compatibility: no @Attribute(.unique) or #Unique; relationships are optional, have explicit inverses where needed, and avoid .deny; large Data uses @Attribute(.externalStorage).
• Scalar attributes: do not make every scalar optional just for CloudKit. Keep required scalars nonoptional when initializers, defaults, or migrations provide valid values.
• Schema rollout: initialize the development schema only in nonproduction builds, verify it in CloudKit Dashboard, promote before release, and treat production changes as additive only.

CRUD Operations

For destructive batches and migrations, first run the exact predicate or version hop against a disposable copy and record affected identifiers/counts. Execute with explicit transaction/save semantics, refetch, and verify values, relationships, counts, and invariants. On failure, fix the predicate/schema and restore a pristine fixture before retrying; never blindly replay a destructive operation.

// CREATE
let trip = Trip(name: "Summer", destination: "Paris", startDate: .now, endDate: .now + 86400*7)
modelContext.insert(trip)
try modelContext.save()  // or rely on autosave

// READ
let trips = try modelContext.fetch(FetchDescriptor<Trip>(
    predicate: #Predicate { $0.destination == "Paris" },
    sortBy: [SortDescriptor(\.startDate)]))

// UPDATE -- modify properties directly; autosave handles persistence
trip.destination = "Rome"

// DELETE
modelContext.delete(trip)
try modelContext.delete(model: Trip.self, where: #Predicate { $0.isFavorite == false })

// TRANSACTION (atomic)
try modelContext.transaction {
    modelContext.insert(trip); trip.isFavorite = true
}

@Query in SwiftUI

struct TripListView: View {
    @Query(filter: #Predicate<Trip> { $0.isFavorite == true },
           sort: \.startDate, order: .reverse)
    private var favorites: [Trip]

    var body: some View { List(favorites) { trip in Text(trip.name) } }
}

// Dynamic query via init
struct SearchView: View {
    @Query private var trips: [Trip]
    init(search: String) {
        _trips = Query(filter: #Predicate<Trip> { trip in
            search.isEmpty || trip.name.localizedStandardContains(search)
        }, sort: [SortDescriptor(\.name)])
    }
    var body: some View { List(trips) { trip in Text(trip.name) } }
}

// FetchDescriptor query
struct RecentView: View {
    static var desc: FetchDescriptor<Trip> {
        var d = FetchDescriptor<Trip>(sortBy: [SortDescriptor(\.startDate)])
        d.fetchLimit = 5; return d
    }
    @Query(RecentView.desc) private var recent: [Trip]
    var body: some View { List(recent) { trip in Text(trip.name) } }
}

#Predicate

#Predicate<Trip> { $0.destination.localizedStandardContains("paris") }  // String
let now = Date()
#Predicate<Trip> { $0.startDate > now }                                 // Date
#Predicate<Trip> { $0.isFavorite && $0.destination != "Unknown" }       // Compound
#Predicate<Trip> { $0.accommodation?.name != nil }                      // Optional
#Predicate<Trip> { $0.tags.contains { $0.name == "adventure" } }        // Collection

Supported: ==, !=, <, <=, >, >=, &&, ||, !, contains(), allSatisfy(), filter(), starts(with:), localizedStandardContains(), caseInsensitiveCompare(), arithmetic, conditional expressions, optional chaining and binding, nil coalescing, type casting. Avoid: loops, nested declarations, mutations, and arbitrary unsupported method calls.

FetchDescriptor

var d = FetchDescriptor<Trip>(predicate: ..., sortBy: [...])
d.fetchLimit = 20; d.fetchOffset = 0
d.includePendingChanges = true
d.propertiesToFetch = [\.name, \.startDate]
d.relationshipKeyPathsForPrefetching = [\.accommodation]
let trips = try modelContext.fetch(d)
let count = try modelContext.fetchCount(d)
let ids = try modelContext.fetchIdentifiers(d)
try modelContext.enumerate(d, batchSize: 1000) { trip in trip.isProcessed = true }

Schema Versioning and Migration

enum SchemaV1: VersionedSchema {
    static var versionIdentifier = Schema.Version(1, 0, 0)
    static var models: [any PersistentModel.Type] { [Trip.self] }
    @Model class Trip { var name: String; init(name: String) { self.name = name } }
}

enum SchemaV2: VersionedSchema {