diff --git a/reftable/reftable.h b/reftable/reftable.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5f8ebf5540
--- /dev/null
+++ b/reftable/reftable.h
@@ -0,0 +1,585 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2020 Google LLC
+
+Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+license that can be found in the LICENSE file or at
+https://developers.google.com/open-source/licenses/bsd
+*/
+
+#ifndef REFTABLE_H
+#define REFTABLE_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+void reftable_set_alloc(void *(*malloc)(size_t),
+			void *(*realloc)(void *, size_t), void (*free)(void *));
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Basic data types
+
+ Reftables store the state of each ref in struct reftable_ref_record, and they
+ store a sequence of reflog updates in struct reftable_log_record.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* reftable_ref_record holds a ref database entry target_value */
+struct reftable_ref_record {
+	char *refname; /* Name of the ref, malloced. */
+	uint64_t update_index; /* Logical timestamp at which this value is
+				  written */
+	uint8_t *value; /* SHA1, or NULL. malloced. */
+	uint8_t *target_value; /* peeled annotated tag, or NULL. malloced. */
+	char *target; /* symref, or NULL. malloced. */
+};
+
+/* returns whether 'ref' represents a deletion */
+int reftable_ref_record_is_deletion(const struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/* prints a reftable_ref_record onto stdout */
+void reftable_ref_record_print(struct reftable_ref_record *ref,
+			       uint32_t hash_id);
+
+/* frees and nulls all pointer values. */
+void reftable_ref_record_clear(struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/* returns whether two reftable_ref_records are the same */
+int reftable_ref_record_equal(struct reftable_ref_record *a,
+			      struct reftable_ref_record *b, int hash_size);
+
+/* reftable_log_record holds a reflog entry */
+struct reftable_log_record {
+	char *refname;
+	uint64_t update_index; /* logical timestamp of a transactional update.
+				*/
+	uint8_t *new_hash;
+	uint8_t *old_hash;
+	char *name;
+	char *email;
+	uint64_t time;
+	int16_t tz_offset;
+	char *message;
+};
+
+/* returns whether 'ref' represents the deletion of a log record. */
+int reftable_log_record_is_deletion(const struct reftable_log_record *log);
+
+/* frees and nulls all pointer values. */
+void reftable_log_record_clear(struct reftable_log_record *log);
+
+/* returns whether two records are equal. */
+int reftable_log_record_equal(struct reftable_log_record *a,
+			      struct reftable_log_record *b, int hash_size);
+
+/* dumps a reftable_log_record on stdout, for debugging/testing. */
+void reftable_log_record_print(struct reftable_log_record *log,
+			       uint32_t hash_id);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Error handling
+
+ Error are signaled with negative integer return values. 0 means success.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* different types of errors */
+enum reftable_error {
+	/* Unexpected file system behavior */
+	REFTABLE_IO_ERROR = -2,
+
+	/* Format inconsistency on reading data
+	 */
+	REFTABLE_FORMAT_ERROR = -3,
+
+	/* File does not exist. Returned from block_source_from_file(),  because
+	   it needs special handling in stack.
+	*/
+	REFTABLE_NOT_EXIST_ERROR = -4,
+
+	/* Trying to write out-of-date data. */
+	REFTABLE_LOCK_ERROR = -5,
+
+	/* Misuse of the API:
+	   - on writing a record with NULL refname.
+	   - on writing a reftable_ref_record outside the table limits
+	   - on writing a ref or log record before the stack's next_update_index
+	   - on writing a log record with multiline message with
+	   exact_log_message unset
+	   - on reading a reftable_ref_record from log iterator, or vice versa.
+	*/
+	REFTABLE_API_ERROR = -6,
+
+	/* Decompression error */
+	REFTABLE_ZLIB_ERROR = -7,
+
+	/* Wrote a table without blocks. */
+	REFTABLE_EMPTY_TABLE_ERROR = -8,
+
+	/* Dir/file conflict. */
+	REFTABLE_NAME_CONFLICT = -9,
+
+	/* Illegal ref name. */
+	REFTABLE_REFNAME_ERROR = -10,
+};
+
+/* convert the numeric error code to a string. The string should not be
+ * deallocated. */
+const char *reftable_error_str(int err);
+
+/*
+ * Convert the numeric error code to an equivalent errno code.
+ */
+int reftable_error_to_errno(int err);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Writing
+
+ Writing single reftables
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* reftable_write_options sets options for writing a single reftable. */
+struct reftable_write_options {
+	/* boolean: do not pad out blocks to block size. */
+	int unpadded;
+
+	/* the blocksize. Should be less than 2^24. */
+	uint32_t block_size;
+
+	/* boolean: do not generate a SHA1 => ref index. */
+	int skip_index_objects;
+
+	/* how often to write complete keys in each block. */
+	int restart_interval;
+
+	/* 4-byte identifier ("sha1", "s256") of the hash.
+	 * Defaults to SHA1 if unset
+	 */
+	uint32_t hash_id;
+
+	/* boolean: do not check ref names for validity or dir/file conflicts.
+	 */
+	int skip_name_check;
+
+	/* boolean: copy log messages exactly. If unset, check that the message
+	 *   is a single line, and add '\n' if missing.
+	 */
+	int exact_log_message;
+};
+
+/* reftable_block_stats holds statistics for a single block type */
+struct reftable_block_stats {
+	/* total number of entries written */
+	int entries;
+	/* total number of key restarts */
+	int restarts;
+	/* total number of blocks */
+	int blocks;
+	/* total number of index blocks */
+	int index_blocks;
+	/* depth of the index */
+	int max_index_level;
+
+	/* offset of the first block for this type */
+	uint64_t offset;
+	/* offset of the top level index block for this type, or 0 if not
+	 * present */
+	uint64_t index_offset;
+};
+
+/* stats holds overall statistics for a single reftable */
+struct reftable_stats {
+	/* total number of blocks written. */
+	int blocks;
+	/* stats for ref data */
+	struct reftable_block_stats ref_stats;
+	/* stats for the SHA1 to ref map. */
+	struct reftable_block_stats obj_stats;
+	/* stats for index blocks */
+	struct reftable_block_stats idx_stats;
+	/* stats for log blocks */
+	struct reftable_block_stats log_stats;
+
+	/* disambiguation length of shortened object IDs. */
+	int object_id_len;
+};
+
+/* reftable_new_writer creates a new writer */
+struct reftable_writer *
+reftable_new_writer(int (*writer_func)(void *, const void *, size_t),
+		    void *writer_arg, struct reftable_write_options *opts);
+
+/* write to a file descriptor. fdp should be an int* pointing to the fd. */
+int reftable_fd_write(void *fdp, const void *data, size_t size);
+
+/* Set the range of update indices for the records we will add.  When
+   writing a table into a stack, the min should be at least
+   reftable_stack_next_update_index(), or REFTABLE_API_ERROR is returned.
+
+   For transactional updates, typically min==max. When converting an existing
+   ref database into a single reftable, this would be a range of update-index
+   timestamps.
+ */
+void reftable_writer_set_limits(struct reftable_writer *w, uint64_t min,
+				uint64_t max);
+
+/* adds a reftable_ref_record. Must be called in ascending
+   order. The update_index must be within the limits set by
+   reftable_writer_set_limits(), or REFTABLE_API_ERROR is returned.
+
+   It is an error to write a ref record after a log record.
+ */
+int reftable_writer_add_ref(struct reftable_writer *w,
+			    struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/* Convenience function to add multiple refs. Will sort the refs by
+   name before adding. */
+int reftable_writer_add_refs(struct reftable_writer *w,
+			     struct reftable_ref_record *refs, int n);
+
+/* adds a reftable_log_record. Must be called in ascending order (with more
+   recent log entries first.)
+ */
+int reftable_writer_add_log(struct reftable_writer *w,
+			    struct reftable_log_record *log);
+
+/* Convenience function to add multiple logs. Will sort the records by
+   key before adding. */
+int reftable_writer_add_logs(struct reftable_writer *w,
+			     struct reftable_log_record *logs, int n);
+
+/* reftable_writer_close finalizes the reftable. The writer is retained so
+ * statistics can be inspected. */
+int reftable_writer_close(struct reftable_writer *w);
+
+/* writer_stats returns the statistics on the reftable being written.
+
+   This struct becomes invalid when the writer is freed.
+ */
+const struct reftable_stats *writer_stats(struct reftable_writer *w);
+
+/* reftable_writer_free deallocates memory for the writer */
+void reftable_writer_free(struct reftable_writer *w);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ * ITERATING
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* iterator is the generic interface for walking over data stored in a
+   reftable. It is generally passed around by value.
+*/
+struct reftable_iterator {
+	struct reftable_iterator_vtable *ops;
+	void *iter_arg;
+};
+
+/* reads the next reftable_ref_record. Returns < 0 for error, 0 for OK and > 0:
+   end of iteration.
+*/
+int reftable_iterator_next_ref(struct reftable_iterator *it,
+			       struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/* reads the next reftable_log_record. Returns < 0 for error, 0 for OK and > 0:
+   end of iteration.
+*/
+int reftable_iterator_next_log(struct reftable_iterator *it,
+			       struct reftable_log_record *log);
+
+/* releases resources associated with an iterator. */
+void reftable_iterator_destroy(struct reftable_iterator *it);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Reading single tables
+
+ The follow routines are for reading single files. For an application-level
+ interface, skip ahead to struct reftable_merged_table and struct
+ reftable_stack.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* block_source is a generic wrapper for a seekable readable file.
+   It is generally passed around by value.
+ */
+struct reftable_block_source {
+	struct reftable_block_source_vtable *ops;
+	void *arg;
+};
+
+/* a contiguous segment of bytes. It keeps track of its generating block_source
+   so it can return itself into the pool.
+*/
+struct reftable_block {
+	uint8_t *data;
+	int len;
+	struct reftable_block_source source;
+};
+
+/* block_source_vtable are the operations that make up block_source */
+struct reftable_block_source_vtable {
+	/* returns the size of a block source */
+	uint64_t (*size)(void *source);
+
+	/* reads a segment from the block source. It is an error to read
+	   beyond the end of the block */
+	int (*read_block)(void *source, struct reftable_block *dest,
+			  uint64_t off, uint32_t size);
+	/* mark the block as read; may return the data back to malloc */
+	void (*return_block)(void *source, struct reftable_block *blockp);
+
+	/* release all resources associated with the block source */
+	void (*close)(void *source);
+};
+
+/* opens a file on the file system as a block_source */
+int reftable_block_source_from_file(struct reftable_block_source *block_src,
+				    const char *name);
+
+/* The reader struct is a handle to an open reftable file. */
+struct reftable_reader;
+
+/* reftable_new_reader opens a reftable for reading. If successful, returns 0
+ * code and sets pp. The name is used for creating a stack. Typically, it is the
+ * basename of the file. The block source `src` is owned by the reader, and is
+ * closed on calling reftable_reader_destroy().
+ */
+int reftable_new_reader(struct reftable_reader **pp,
+			struct reftable_block_source *src, const char *name);
+
+/* reftable_reader_seek_ref returns an iterator where 'name' would be inserted
+   in the table.  To seek to the start of the table, use name = "".
+
+   example:
+
+   struct reftable_reader *r = NULL;
+   int err = reftable_new_reader(&r, &src, "filename");
+   if (err < 0) { ... }
+   struct reftable_iterator it  = {0};
+   err = reftable_reader_seek_ref(r, &it, "refs/heads/master");
+   if (err < 0) { ... }
+   struct reftable_ref_record ref  = {0};
+   while (1) {
+     err = reftable_iterator_next_ref(&it, &ref);
+     if (err > 0) {
+       break;
+     }
+     if (err < 0) {
+       ..error handling..
+     }
+     ..found..
+   }
+   reftable_iterator_destroy(&it);
+   reftable_ref_record_clear(&ref);
+ */
+int reftable_reader_seek_ref(struct reftable_reader *r,
+			     struct reftable_iterator *it, const char *name);
+
+/* returns the hash ID used in this table. */
+uint32_t reftable_reader_hash_id(struct reftable_reader *r);
+
+/* seek to logs for the given name, older than update_index. To seek to the
+   start of the table, use name = "".
+ */
+int reftable_reader_seek_log_at(struct reftable_reader *r,
+				struct reftable_iterator *it, const char *name,
+				uint64_t update_index);
+
+/* seek to newest log entry for given name. */
+int reftable_reader_seek_log(struct reftable_reader *r,
+			     struct reftable_iterator *it, const char *name);
+
+/* closes and deallocates a reader. */
+void reftable_reader_free(struct reftable_reader *);
+
+/* return an iterator for the refs pointing to `oid`. */
+int reftable_reader_refs_for(struct reftable_reader *r,
+			     struct reftable_iterator *it, uint8_t *oid);
+
+/* return the max_update_index for a table */
+uint64_t reftable_reader_max_update_index(struct reftable_reader *r);
+
+/* return the min_update_index for a table */
+uint64_t reftable_reader_min_update_index(struct reftable_reader *r);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Merged tables
+
+ A ref database kept in a sequence of table files. The merged_table presents a
+ unified view to reading (seeking, iterating) a sequence of immutable tables.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* A merged table is implements seeking/iterating over a stack of tables. */
+struct reftable_merged_table;
+
+/* A generic reftable; see below. */
+struct reftable_table;
+
+/* reftable_new_merged_table creates a new merged table. It takes ownership of
+   the stack array.
+*/
+int reftable_new_merged_table(struct reftable_merged_table **dest,
+			      struct reftable_table *stack, int n,
+			      uint32_t hash_id);
+
+/* returns an iterator positioned just before 'name' */
+int reftable_merged_table_seek_ref(struct reftable_merged_table *mt,
+				   struct reftable_iterator *it,
+				   const char *name);
+
+/* returns an iterator for log entry, at given update_index */
+int reftable_merged_table_seek_log_at(struct reftable_merged_table *mt,
+				      struct reftable_iterator *it,
+				      const char *name, uint64_t update_index);
+
+/* like reftable_merged_table_seek_log_at but look for the newest entry. */
+int reftable_merged_table_seek_log(struct reftable_merged_table *mt,
+				   struct reftable_iterator *it,
+				   const char *name);
+
+/* returns the max update_index covered by this merged table. */
+uint64_t
+reftable_merged_table_max_update_index(struct reftable_merged_table *mt);
+
+/* returns the min update_index covered by this merged table. */
+uint64_t
+reftable_merged_table_min_update_index(struct reftable_merged_table *mt);
+
+/* releases memory for the merged_table */
+void reftable_merged_table_free(struct reftable_merged_table *m);
+
+/* return the hash ID of the merged table. */
+uint32_t reftable_merged_table_hash_id(struct reftable_merged_table *m);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Generic tables
+
+ A unified API for reading tables, either merged tables, or single readers.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+struct reftable_table {
+	struct reftable_table_vtable *ops;
+	void *table_arg;
+};
+
+int reftable_table_seek_ref(struct reftable_table *tab,
+			    struct reftable_iterator *it, const char *name);
+
+void reftable_table_from_reader(struct reftable_table *tab,
+				struct reftable_reader *reader);
+
+/* returns the hash ID from a generic reftable_table */
+uint32_t reftable_table_hash_id(struct reftable_table *tab);
+
+/* create a generic table from reftable_merged_table */
+void reftable_table_from_merged_table(struct reftable_table *tab,
+				      struct reftable_merged_table *table);
+
+/* returns the max update_index covered by this table. */
+uint64_t reftable_table_max_update_index(struct reftable_table *tab);
+
+/* returns the min update_index covered by this table. */
+uint64_t reftable_table_min_update_index(struct reftable_table *tab);
+
+/* convenience function to read a single ref. Returns < 0 for error, 0
+   for success, and 1 if ref not found. */
+int reftable_table_read_ref(struct reftable_table *tab, const char *name,
+			    struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/****************************************************************
+ Mutable ref database
+
+ The stack presents an interface to a mutable sequence of reftables.
+ ****************************************************************/
+
+/* a stack is a stack of reftables, which can be mutated by pushing a table to
+ * the top of the stack */
+struct reftable_stack;
+
+/* open a new reftable stack. The tables along with the table list will be
+   stored in 'dir'. Typically, this should be .git/reftables.
+*/
+int reftable_new_stack(struct reftable_stack **dest, const char *dir,
+		       struct reftable_write_options config);
+
+/* returns the update_index at which a next table should be written. */
+uint64_t reftable_stack_next_update_index(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* holds a transaction to add tables at the top of a stack. */
+struct reftable_addition;
+
+/*
+  returns a new transaction to add reftables to the given stack. As a side
+  effect, the ref database is locked.
+*/
+int reftable_stack_new_addition(struct reftable_addition **dest,
+				struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* Adds a reftable to transaction. */
+int reftable_addition_add(struct reftable_addition *add,
+			  int (*write_table)(struct reftable_writer *wr,
+					     void *arg),
+			  void *arg);
+
+/* Commits the transaction, releasing the lock. */
+int reftable_addition_commit(struct reftable_addition *add);
+
+/* Release all non-committed data from the transaction, and deallocate the
+   transaction. Releases the lock if held. */
+void reftable_addition_destroy(struct reftable_addition *add);
+
+/* add a new table to the stack. The write_table function must call
+   reftable_writer_set_limits, add refs and return an error value. */
+int reftable_stack_add(struct reftable_stack *st,
+		       int (*write_table)(struct reftable_writer *wr,
+					  void *write_arg),
+		       void *write_arg);
+
+/* returns the merged_table for seeking. This table is valid until the
+   next write or reload, and should not be closed or deleted.
+*/
+struct reftable_merged_table *
+reftable_stack_merged_table(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* frees all resources associated with the stack. */
+void reftable_stack_destroy(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* Reloads the stack if necessary. This is very cheap to run if the stack was up
+ * to date */
+int reftable_stack_reload(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* Policy for expiring reflog entries. */
+struct reftable_log_expiry_config {
+	/* Drop entries older than this timestamp */
+	uint64_t time;
+
+	/* Drop older entries */
+	uint64_t min_update_index;
+};
+
+/* compacts all reftables into a giant table. Expire reflog entries if config is
+ * non-NULL */
+int reftable_stack_compact_all(struct reftable_stack *st,
+			       struct reftable_log_expiry_config *config);
+
+/* heuristically compact unbalanced table stack. */
+int reftable_stack_auto_compact(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+/* convenience function to read a single ref. Returns < 0 for error, 0
+   for success, and 1 if ref not found. */
+int reftable_stack_read_ref(struct reftable_stack *st, const char *refname,
+			    struct reftable_ref_record *ref);
+
+/* convenience function to read a single log. Returns < 0 for error, 0
+   for success, and 1 if ref not found. */
+int reftable_stack_read_log(struct reftable_stack *st, const char *refname,
+			    struct reftable_log_record *log);
+
+/* statistics on past compactions. */
+struct reftable_compaction_stats {
+	uint64_t bytes; /* total number of bytes written */
+	uint64_t entries_written; /* total number of entries written, including
+				     failures. */
+	int attempts; /* how often we tried to compact */
+	int failures; /* failures happen on concurrent updates */
+};
+
+/* return statistics for compaction up till now. */
+struct reftable_compaction_stats *
+reftable_stack_compaction_stats(struct reftable_stack *st);
+
+#endif
