> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mflorin.gitbook.io/revivejs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mflorin.gitbook.io/revivejs/usage/recursive-schemas.md).

# Recursive Schemas

In this section you'll find out how to design recursive revive schemas using revive schema providers

Recursive schemas are useful when modeling objects that have references to other instances of themselves. For example:

```typescript
class Person {
    name = ''
    friends: Person[] = []
}
```

In this example, a `Person` has friends which are in turn `Person` objects.

Given the recursive dependency, it is impossible to revive such an object by describing a literal schema.\
Instead, we can rely on [Schema Providers](/revivejs/usage/complex-schemas/schema-providers.md) . We can turn the above class into a schema provider like this:

```typescript
class Person {
    name = ''
    friends: Person[] = []
    
     public getRevivalSchema(): RevivalSchema<Person> {
       return {
         type: Person,
         properties: {
           friends: {
             items: Person
           }
         }
       }
     } 
}
```

{% hint style="info" %}
Any class, not just the one associated with the object, can be a schema provider i.e.&#x20;

```typescript
class Person { /* ... */ }
class SchemaProvider {
  /* ... */
}

/* and then, revive using that class instead of Person - we will still 
get a Person object */
const person = revive(json, SchemaProvider)
```

{% endhint %}