T91406: Asset Library Indexing

Asset library indexing would store indexes of asset files to speed up
asset library browsing.

* Indexes are read when they are up to date
** Index should exist
** Index last modify data should be later than the file it indexes
** Index version should match
* The index of a file containing no assets can be load without opening
   the index file. The size of the file should be below a 32 bytes.
* Indexes are stored on a persistent cache folder.
* Unused index files are automatically removed.

The structure of the index files contains all data needed for browsing assets:
```
{
  "version": <file version number>,
  "entries": [{
    "name": "<asset name>",
    "catalog_id": "<catalog_id>",
    "catalog_name": "<catalog_name>",
    "description": "<description>",
    "author": "<author>",
    "tags": ["<tag>"]
  }]
}
```

Reviewed By: sybren, Severin

Maniphest Tasks: T91406

Differential Revision: https://developer.blender.org/D12693

11 files changed, 1298 insertions, 31 deletions

diff --git a/source/blender/editors/asset/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/editors/asset/CMakeLists.txt
index b9ef8e82bba..2391f4af14d 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/asset/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/editors/asset/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ set(INC
   ../../makesdna
   ../../makesrna
   ../../windowmanager
+  ../../../../intern/clog
   ../../../../intern/guardedalloc
 )
 
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ set(SRC
   intern/asset_catalog.cc
   intern/asset_filter.cc
   intern/asset_handle.cc
+  intern/asset_indexer.cc
   intern/asset_library_reference.cc
   intern/asset_library_reference_enum.cc
   intern/asset_list.cc
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/asset/ED_asset_indexer.h b/source/blender/editors/asset/ED_asset_indexer.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..33558d8cda5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/blender/editors/asset/ED_asset_indexer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+ * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+/** \file
+ * \ingroup edasset
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+#include "ED_file_indexer.h"
+
+/**
+ * File Indexer Service for indexing asset files.
+ *
+ * Opening and parsing a large collection of asset files inside a library can take a lot of time.
+ * To reduce the time it takes the files are indexed.
+ *
+ * - Index files are created for each blend file in the asset library, even when the blend file
+ *   doesn't contain any assets.
+ * - Indexes are stored in an persistent cache folder (`BKE_appdir_folder_caches` +
+ *   `asset_library_indexes/{asset_library_dir}/{asset_index_file.json}`).
+ * - The content of the indexes are used when:
+ *   - Index exists and can be opened
+ *   - Last modification date is earlier than the file it represents.
+ *   - The index file version is the latest.
+ * - Blend files without any assets can be determined by the size of the index file for some
+ *   additional performance.
+ */
+extern const FileIndexerType file_indexer_asset;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_indexer.cc b/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_indexer.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..52b5df14c9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_indexer.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,781 @@
+/*
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+ * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+/** \file
+ * \ingroup edasset
+ */
+
+#include <fstream>
+#include <iomanip>
+#include <optional>
+
+#include "ED_asset_indexer.h"
+
+#include "DNA_asset_types.h"
+#include "DNA_userdef_types.h"
+
+#include "BLI_fileops.h"
+#include "BLI_hash.hh"
+#include "BLI_linklist.h"
+#include "BLI_path_util.h"
+#include "BLI_serialize.hh"
+#include "BLI_set.hh"
+#include "BLI_string_ref.hh"
+#include "BLI_uuid.h"
+
+#include "BKE_appdir.h"
+#include "BKE_asset.h"
+#include "BKE_asset_catalog.hh"
+#include "BKE_preferences.h"
+
+#include "CLG_log.h"
+
+static CLG_LogRef LOG = {"ed.asset"};
+
+namespace blender::ed::asset::index {
+
+using namespace blender::io::serialize;
+using namespace blender::bke;
+
+/**
+ * \file asset_indexer.cc
+ * \brief Indexer for asset libraries.
+ *
+ * Indexes are stored per input file. Each index can contain zero to multiple asset entries.
+ * The indexes are grouped together per asset library. They are stored in
+ * #BKE_appdir_folder_caches +
+ * /asset-library-indices/<asset-library-hash>/<asset-index-hash>_<asset_file>.index.json.
+ *
+ * The structure of an index file is
+ * \code
+ * {
+ *   "version": <file version number>,
+ *   "entries": [{
+ *     "name": "<asset name>",
+ *     "catalog_id": "<catalog_id>",
+ *     "catalog_name": "<catalog_name>",
+ *     "description": "<description>",
+ *     "author": "<author>",
+ *     "tags": ["<tag>"]
+ *   }]
+ * }
+ * \endcode
+ *
+ * NOTE: entries, author, description and tags are optional attributes.
+ *
+ * NOTE: File browser uses name and idcode separate. Inside the index they are joined together like
+ * #ID.name.
+ * NOTE: File browser group name isn't stored in the index as it is a translatable name.
+ */
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_VERSION("version");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES("entries");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_NAME("name");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_ID("catalog_id");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_NAME("catalog_name");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_DESCRIPTION("description");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_AUTHOR("author");
+constexpr StringRef ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_TAGS("tags");
+
+/** Abstract class for #BlendFile and #AssetIndexFile. */
+class AbstractFile {
+ public:
+  virtual ~AbstractFile() = default;
+
+  virtual const char *get_file_path() const = 0;
+
+  bool exists() const
+  {
+    return BLI_exists(get_file_path());
+  }
+
+  size_t get_file_size() const
+  {
+    return BLI_file_size(get_file_path());
+  }
+};
+
+/**
+ * \brief Reference to a blend file that can be indexed.
+ */
+class BlendFile : public AbstractFile {
+  StringRefNull file_path_;
+
+ public:
+  BlendFile(StringRefNull file_path) : file_path_(file_path)
+  {
+  }
+
+  uint64_t hash() const
+  {
+    DefaultHash<StringRefNull> hasher;
+    return hasher(file_path_);
+  }
+
+  std::string get_filename() const
+  {
+    char filename[FILE_MAX];
+    BLI_split_file_part(get_file_path(), filename, sizeof(filename));
+    return std::string(filename);
+  }
+
+  const char *get_file_path() const override
+  {
+    return file_path_.c_str();
+  }
+};
+
+/**
+ * \brief Single entry inside a #AssetIndexFile for reading.
+ */
+struct AssetEntryReader {
+ private:
+  /**
+   * \brief Lookup table containing the elements of the entry.
+   */
+  ObjectValue::Lookup lookup;
+
+  StringRefNull get_name_with_idcode() const
+  {
+    return lookup.lookup(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_NAME)->as_string_value()->value();
+  }
+
+ public:
+  AssetEntryReader(const ObjectValue &entry) : lookup(entry.create_lookup())
+  {
+  }
+
+  ID_Type get_idcode() const
+  {
+    const StringRefNull name_with_idcode = get_name_with_idcode();
+    return GS(name_with_idcode.c_str());
+  }
+
+  StringRef get_name() const
+  {
+    const StringRefNull name_with_idcode = get_name_with_idcode();
+    return name_with_idcode.substr(2);
+  }
+
+  bool has_description() const
+  {
+    return lookup.contains(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_DESCRIPTION);
+  }
+
+  StringRefNull get_description() const
+  {
+    return lookup.lookup(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_DESCRIPTION)->as_string_value()->value();
+  }
+
+  bool has_author() const
+  {
+    return lookup.contains(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_AUTHOR);
+  }
+
+  StringRefNull get_author() const
+  {
+    return lookup.lookup(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_AUTHOR)->as_string_value()->value();
+  }
+
+  StringRefNull get_catalog_name() const
+  {
+    return lookup.lookup(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_NAME)->as_string_value()->value();
+  }
+
+  CatalogID get_catalog_id() const
+  {
+    const std::string &catalog_id =
+        lookup.lookup(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_ID)->as_string_value()->value();
+    CatalogID catalog_uuid(catalog_id);
+    return catalog_uuid;
+  }
+
+  void add_tags_to_meta_data(AssetMetaData *asset_data) const
+  {
+    const ObjectValue::LookupValue *value_ptr = lookup.lookup_ptr(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_TAGS);
+    if (value_ptr == nullptr) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const ArrayValue *array_value = (*value_ptr)->as_array_value();
+    const ArrayValue::Items &elements = array_value->elements();
+    for (const ArrayValue::Item &item : elements) {
+      const StringRefNull tag_name = item->as_string_value()->value();
+      BKE_asset_metadata_tag_add(asset_data, tag_name.c_str());
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+struct AssetEntryWriter {
+ private:
+  ObjectValue::Items &attributes;
+
+ public:
+  AssetEntryWriter(ObjectValue &entry) : attributes(entry.elements())
+  {
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * \brief add id + name to the attributes.
+   *
+   * NOTE: id and name are encoded like #ID.name
+   */
+  void add_id_name(const short idcode, const StringRefNull name)
+  {
+    char idcode_prefix[2];
+    /* Similar to `BKE_libblock_alloc`. */
+    *((short *)idcode_prefix) = idcode;
+    std::string name_with_idcode = std::string(idcode_prefix) + name;
+
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_NAME, new StringValue(name_with_idcode)));
+  }
+
+  void add_catalog_id(const CatalogID &catalog_id)
+  {
+    char catalog_id_str[UUID_STRING_LEN];
+    BLI_uuid_format(catalog_id_str, catalog_id);
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_ID, new StringValue(catalog_id_str)));
+  }
+
+  void add_catalog_name(const StringRefNull catalog_name)
+  {
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_CATALOG_NAME, new StringValue(catalog_name)));
+  }
+
+  void add_description(const StringRefNull description)
+  {
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_DESCRIPTION, new StringValue(description)));
+  }
+
+  void add_author(const StringRefNull author)
+  {
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_AUTHOR, new StringValue(author)));
+  }
+
+  void add_tags(const ListBase /* AssetTag */ *asset_tags)
+  {
+    ArrayValue *tags = new ArrayValue();
+    attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES_TAGS, tags));
+    ArrayValue::Items &tag_items = tags->elements();
+
+    LISTBASE_FOREACH (AssetTag *, tag, asset_tags) {
+      tag_items.append_as(new StringValue(tag->name));
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+static void init_value_from_file_indexer_entry(AssetEntryWriter &result,
+                                               const FileIndexerEntry *indexer_entry)
+{
+  const BLODataBlockInfo &datablock_info = indexer_entry->datablock_info;
+
+  result.add_id_name(indexer_entry->idcode, datablock_info.name);
+
+  const AssetMetaData &asset_data = *datablock_info.asset_data;
+  result.add_catalog_id(asset_data.catalog_id);
+  result.add_catalog_name(asset_data.catalog_simple_name);
+
+  if (asset_data.description != nullptr) {
+    result.add_description(asset_data.description);
+  }
+  if (asset_data.author != nullptr) {
+    result.add_author(asset_data.author);
+  }
+
+  if (!BLI_listbase_is_empty(&asset_data.tags)) {
+    result.add_tags(&asset_data.tags);
+  }
+
+  /* TODO: asset_data.IDProperties */
+}
+
+static void init_value_from_file_indexer_entries(ObjectValue &result,
+                                                 const FileIndexerEntries &indexer_entries)
+{
+  ArrayValue *entries = new ArrayValue();
+  ArrayValue::Items &items = entries->elements();
+
+  for (LinkNode *ln = indexer_entries.entries; ln; ln = ln->next) {
+    const FileIndexerEntry *indexer_entry = static_cast<const FileIndexerEntry *>(ln->link);
+    /* We also get non asset types (brushes, workspaces), when browsing using the asset browser. */
+    if (indexer_entry->datablock_info.asset_data == nullptr) {
+      continue;
+    }
+    ObjectValue *entry_value = new ObjectValue();
+    AssetEntryWriter entry(*entry_value);
+    init_value_from_file_indexer_entry(entry, indexer_entry);
+    items.append_as(entry_value);
+  }
+
+  /* When no entries to index, we should not store the entries attribute as this would make the
+   * size bigger than the #MIN_FILE_SIZE_WITH_ENTRIES. */
+  if (items.is_empty()) {
+    delete entries;
+    return;
+  }
+
+  ObjectValue::Items &attributes = result.elements();
+  attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES, entries));
+}
+
+static void init_indexer_entry_from_value(FileIndexerEntry &indexer_entry,
+                                          const AssetEntryReader &entry)
+{
+  indexer_entry.idcode = entry.get_idcode();
+
+  const std::string &name = entry.get_name();
+  BLI_strncpy(
+      indexer_entry.datablock_info.name, name.c_str(), sizeof(indexer_entry.datablock_info.name));
+
+  AssetMetaData *asset_data = BKE_asset_metadata_create();
+  indexer_entry.datablock_info.asset_data = asset_data;
+
+  if (entry.has_description()) {
+    const std::string &description = entry.get_description();
+    char *description_c_str = static_cast<char *>(MEM_mallocN(description.length() + 1, __func__));
+    BLI_strncpy(description_c_str, description.c_str(), description.length() + 1);
+    asset_data->description = description_c_str;
+  }
+  if (entry.has_author()) {
+    const std::string &author = entry.get_author();
+    char *author_c_str = static_cast<char *>(MEM_mallocN(author.length() + 1, __func__));
+    BLI_strncpy(author_c_str, author.c_str(), author.length() + 1);
+    asset_data->author = author_c_str;
+  }
+
+  const std::string &catalog_name = entry.get_catalog_name();
+  BLI_strncpy(asset_data->catalog_simple_name,
+              catalog_name.c_str(),
+              sizeof(asset_data->catalog_simple_name));
+
+  asset_data->catalog_id = entry.get_catalog_id();
+
+  entry.add_tags_to_meta_data(asset_data);
+}
+
+static int init_indexer_entries_from_value(FileIndexerEntries &indexer_entries,
+                                           const ObjectValue &value)
+{
+  const ObjectValue::Lookup attributes = value.create_lookup();
+  const ObjectValue::LookupValue *entries_value = attributes.lookup_ptr(ATTRIBUTE_ENTRIES);
+  BLI_assert(entries_value != nullptr);
+
+  if (entries_value == nullptr) {
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  int num_entries_read = 0;
+  const ArrayValue::Items elements = (*entries_value)->as_array_value()->elements();
+  for (ArrayValue::Item element : elements) {
+    const AssetEntryReader asset_entry(*element->as_object_value());
+
+    FileIndexerEntry *entry = static_cast<FileIndexerEntry *>(
+        MEM_callocN(sizeof(FileIndexerEntry), __func__));
+    init_indexer_entry_from_value(*entry, asset_entry);
+
+    BLI_linklist_prepend(&indexer_entries.entries, entry);
+    num_entries_read += 1;
+  }
+
+  return num_entries_read;
+}
+
+/**
+ * \brief References the asset library directory.
+ *
+ * The #AssetLibraryIndex instance is used to keep track of unused file indices. When reading any
+ * used indices are removed from the list and when reading is finished the unused
+ * indices are removed.
+ */
+struct AssetLibraryIndex {
+  /**
+   * Tracks indices that haven't been used yet.
+   *
+   * Contains absolute paths to the indices.
+   */
+  Set<std::string> unused_file_indices;
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Absolute path where the indices of `library` are stored.
+   *
+   * \NOTE: includes trailing directory separator.
+   */
+  std::string indices_base_path;
+
+  std::string library_path;
+
+ public:
+  AssetLibraryIndex(const StringRef library_path) : library_path(library_path)
+  {
+    init_indices_base_path();
+  }
+
+  uint64_t hash() const
+  {
+    DefaultHash<StringRefNull> hasher;
+    return hasher(get_library_file_path());
+  }
+
+  StringRefNull get_library_file_path() const
+  {
+    return library_path;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * \brief Initializes #AssetLibraryIndex.indices_base_path.
+   *
+   * `BKE_appdir_folder_caches/asset-library-indices/<asset-library-name-hash>/`
+   */
+  void init_indices_base_path()
+  {
+    char index_path[FILE_MAX];
+    BKE_appdir_folder_caches(index_path, sizeof(index_path));
+
+    BLI_path_append(index_path, sizeof(index_path), "asset-library-indices");
+
+    std::stringstream ss;
+    ss << std::setfill('0') << std::setw(16) << std::hex << hash() << "/";
+    BLI_path_append(index_path, sizeof(index_path), ss.str().c_str());
+
+    indices_base_path = std::string(index_path);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * \return absolute path to the index file of the given `asset_file`.
+   *
+   * `{indices_base_path}/{asset-file_hash}_{asset-file-filename}.index.json`.
+   */
+  std::string index_file_path(const BlendFile &asset_file) const
+  {
+    std::stringstream ss;
+    ss << indices_base_path;
+    ss << std::setfill('0') << std::setw(16) << std::hex << asset_file.hash() << "_"
+       << asset_file.get_filename() << ".index.json";
+    return ss.str();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Initialize to keep track of unused file indices.
+   */
+  void init_unused_index_files()
+  {
+    const char *index_path = indices_base_path.c_str();
+    if (!BLI_is_dir(index_path)) {
+      return;
+    }
+    struct direntry *dir_entries = nullptr;
+    int num_entries = BLI_filelist_dir_contents(index_path, &dir_entries);
+    for (int i = 0; i < num_entries; i++) {
+      struct direntry *entry = &dir_entries[i];
+      if (BLI_str_endswith(entry->relname, ".index.json")) {
+        unused_file_indices.add_as(std::string(entry->path));
+      }
+    }
+
+    BLI_filelist_free(dir_entries, num_entries);
+  }
+
+  void mark_as_used(const std::string &filename)
+  {
+    unused_file_indices.remove(filename);
+  }
+
+  int remove_unused_index_files() const
+  {
+    int num_files_deleted = 0;
+    for (const std::string &unused_index : unused_file_indices) {
+      const char *file_path = unused_index.c_str();
+      CLOG_INFO(&LOG, 2, "Remove unused index file [%s].", file_path);
+      BLI_delete(file_path, false, false);
+      num_files_deleted++;
+    }
+
+    return num_files_deleted;
+  }
+};
+
+/**
+ * Instance of this class represents the contents of an asset index file.
+ *
+ * /code
+ * {
+ *    "version": {version},
+ *    "entries": ...
+ * }
+ * /endcode
+ */
+struct AssetIndex {
+  /**
+   * \brief Version to store in new index files.
+   *
+   * Versions are written to each index file. When reading the version is checked against
+   * `CURRENT_VERSION` to make sure we can use the index. Developer should increase
+   * `CURRENT_VERSION` when changes are made to the structure of the stored index.
+   */
+  static const int CURRENT_VERSION = 1;
+
+  /**
+   * Version number to use when version couldn't be read from an index file.
+   */
+  const int UNKNOWN_VERSION = -1;
+
+  /**
+   * `blender::io::serialize::Value` represeting the contents of an index file.
+   *
+   * Value is used over ObjectValue as the contents of the index could be corrupted and doesn't
+   * represent an object. In case corrupted files are detected the `get_version` would return
+   * UNKNOWN_VERSION.`
+   */
+  std::unique_ptr<Value> contents;
+
+  /**
+   * Constructor for when creating/updating an asset index file.
+   * #AssetIndex.contents are filled from the given \p indexer_entries.
+   */
+  AssetIndex(const FileIndexerEntries &indexer_entries)
+  {
+    std::unique_ptr<ObjectValue> root = std::make_unique<ObjectValue>();
+    ObjectValue::Items &root_attributes = root->elements();
+    root_attributes.append_as(std::pair(ATTRIBUTE_VERSION, new IntValue(CURRENT_VERSION)));
+    init_value_from_file_indexer_entries(*root, indexer_entries);
+
+    contents = std::move(root);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Constructor when reading an asset index file.
+   * #AssetIndex.contents are read from the given \p value.
+   */
+  AssetIndex(std::unique_ptr<Value> &value) : contents(std::move(value))
+  {
+  }
+
+  int get_version() const
+  {
+    const ObjectValue *root = contents->as_object_value();
+    if (root == nullptr) {
+      return UNKNOWN_VERSION;
+    }
+    const ObjectValue::Lookup attributes = root->create_lookup();
+    const ObjectValue::LookupValue *version_value = attributes.lookup_ptr(ATTRIBUTE_VERSION);
+    if (version_value == nullptr) {
+      return UNKNOWN_VERSION;
+    }
+    return (*version_value)->as_int_value()->value();
+  }
+
+  bool is_latest_version() const
+  {
+    return get_version() == CURRENT_VERSION;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Extract the contents of this index into the given \p indexer_entries.
+   *
+   * \return The number of entries read from the given entries.
+   */
+  int extract_into(FileIndexerEntries &indexer_entries) const
+  {
+    const ObjectValue *root = contents->as_object_value();
+    const int num_entries_read = init_indexer_entries_from_value(indexer_entries, *root);
+    return num_entries_read;
+  }
+};
+
+class AssetIndexFile : public AbstractFile {
+ public:
+  AssetLibraryIndex &library_index;
+  /**
+   * Asset index files with a size smaller than this attribute would be considered to not contain
+   * any entries.
+   */
+  const size_t MIN_FILE_SIZE_WITH_ENTRIES = 32;
+  std::string filename;
+
+  AssetIndexFile(AssetLibraryIndex &library_index, BlendFile &asset_filename)
+      : library_index(library_index), filename(library_index.index_file_path(asset_filename))
+  {
+  }
+
+  void mark_as_used()
+  {
+    library_index.mark_as_used(filename);
+  }
+
+  const char *get_file_path() const override
+  {
+    return filename.c_str();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns whether the index file is older than the given asset file.
+   */
+  bool is_older_than(BlendFile &asset_file) const
+  {
+    return BLI_file_older(get_file_path(), asset_file.get_file_path());
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Check whether the index file contains entries without opening the file.
+   */
+  bool constains_entries() const
+  {
+    const size_t file_size = get_file_size();
+    return file_size >= MIN_FILE_SIZE_WITH_ENTRIES;
+  }
+
+  std::unique_ptr<AssetIndex> read_contents() const
+  {
+    JsonFormatter formatter;
+    std::ifstream is;
+    is.open(filename);
+    std::unique_ptr<Value> read_data = formatter.deserialize(is);
+    is.close();
+
+    return std::make_unique<AssetIndex>(read_data);
+  }
+
+  bool ensure_parent_path_exists() const
+  {
+    /* `BLI_make_existing_file` only ensures parent path, otherwise than expected from the name of
+     * the function. */
+    return BLI_make_existing_file(get_file_path());
+  }
+
+  void write_contents(AssetIndex &content)
+  {
+    JsonFormatter formatter;
+    if (!ensure_parent_path_exists()) {
+      CLOG_ERROR(&LOG, "Index not created: couldn't create folder [%s].", get_file_path());
+      return;
+    }
+
+    std::ofstream os;
+    os.open(filename, std::ios::out | std::ios::trunc);
+    formatter.serialize(os, *content.contents);
+    os.close();
+  }
+};
+
+static eFileIndexerResult read_index(const char *filename,
+                                     FileIndexerEntries *entries,
+                                     int *r_read_entries_len,
+                                     void *user_data)
+{
+  AssetLibraryIndex &library_index = *static_cast<AssetLibraryIndex *>(user_data);
+  BlendFile asset_file(filename);
+  AssetIndexFile asset_index_file(library_index, asset_file);
+
+  if (!asset_index_file.exists()) {
+    return FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE;
+  }
+
+  /* Mark index as used, even when it will be recreated. When not done it would remove the index
+   * when the indexing has finished (see `AssetLibraryIndex.remove_unused_index_files`), thereby
+   * removing the newly created index.
+   */
+  asset_index_file.mark_as_used();
+
+  if (asset_index_file.is_older_than(asset_file)) {
+    CLOG_INFO(
+        &LOG,
+        3,
+        "Asset index file [%s] needs to be refreshed as it is older than the asset file [%s].",
+        asset_index_file.filename.c_str(),
+        filename);
+    return FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE;
+  }
+
+  if (!asset_index_file.constains_entries()) {
+    CLOG_INFO(&LOG,
+              3,
+              "Asset file index is to small to contain any entries. [%s]",
+              asset_index_file.filename.c_str());
+    *r_read_entries_len = 0;
+    return FILE_INDEXER_ENTRIES_LOADED;
+  }
+
+  std::unique_ptr<AssetIndex> contents = asset_index_file.read_contents();
+  if (!contents->is_latest_version()) {
+    CLOG_INFO(&LOG,
+              3,
+              "Asset file index is ignored; expected version %d but file is version %d [%s].",
+              AssetIndex::CURRENT_VERSION,
+              contents->get_version(),
+              asset_index_file.filename.c_str());
+    return FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE;
+  }
+
+  const int read_entries_len = contents->extract_into(*entries);
+  CLOG_INFO(&LOG, 1, "Read %d entries from asset index for [%s].", read_entries_len, filename);
+  *r_read_entries_len = read_entries_len;
+
+  return FILE_INDEXER_ENTRIES_LOADED;
+}
+
+static void update_index(const char *filename, FileIndexerEntries *entries, void *user_data)
+{
+  AssetLibraryIndex &library_index = *static_cast<AssetLibraryIndex *>(user_data);
+  BlendFile asset_file(filename);
+  AssetIndexFile asset_index_file(library_index, asset_file);
+  CLOG_INFO(&LOG,
+            1,
+            "Update asset index for [%s] store index in [%s].",
+            asset_file.get_file_path(),
+            asset_index_file.get_file_path());
+
+  AssetIndex content(*entries);
+  asset_index_file.write_contents(content);
+}
+
+static void *init_user_data(const char *root_directory, size_t root_directory_maxlen)
+{
+  AssetLibraryIndex *library_index = OBJECT_GUARDED_NEW(
+      AssetLibraryIndex,
+      StringRef(root_directory, BLI_strnlen(root_directory, root_directory_maxlen)));
+  library_index->init_unused_index_files();
+  return library_index;
+}
+
+static void free_user_data(void *user_data)
+{
+  OBJECT_GUARDED_DELETE(user_data, AssetLibraryIndex);
+}
+
+static void filelist_finished(void *user_data)
+{
+  AssetLibraryIndex &library_index = *static_cast<AssetLibraryIndex *>(user_data);
+  const int num_indices_removed = library_index.remove_unused_index_files();
+  if (num_indices_removed > 0) {
+    CLOG_INFO(&LOG, 1, "Removed %d unused indices.", num_indices_removed);
+  }
+}
+
+constexpr FileIndexerType asset_indexer()
+{
+  FileIndexerType indexer = {nullptr};
+  indexer.read_index = read_index;
+  indexer.update_index = update_index;
+  indexer.init_user_data = init_user_data;
+  indexer.free_user_data = free_user_data;
+  indexer.filelist_finished = filelist_finished;
+  return indexer;
+}
+
+}  // namespace blender::ed::asset::index
+
+extern "C" {
+const FileIndexerType file_indexer_asset = blender::ed::asset::index::asset_indexer();
+}
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_list.cc b/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_list.cc
index c1b1e33d428..6079e91d5f5 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_list.cc
+++ b/source/blender/editors/asset/intern/asset_list.cc
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include "../space_file/filelist.h"
 
 #include "ED_asset_handle.h"
+#include "ED_asset_indexer.h"
 #include "ED_asset_list.h"
 #include "ED_asset_list.hh"
 #include "asset_library_reference.hh"
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ void AssetList::setup()
       true,
       "",
       "");
+  filelist_setindexer(files, &file_indexer_asset);
 
   char path[FILE_MAXDIR] = "";
   if (user_library) {
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/include/ED_file_indexer.h b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_file_indexer.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..12579283a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_file_indexer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+/*
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+ * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+/** \file
+ * \ingroup edfile
+ */
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include "BLO_readfile.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * File indexing for the file/asset browser.
+ *
+ * This file contains an API to create indexing functionality when listing blend files in
+ * the file browser.
+ *
+ * To implement a custom indexer a `FileIndexerType` struct should be made and passed to the
+ * `filelist_setindexer` function.
+ */
+
+struct AssetLibraryReference;
+struct LinkNode;
+
+/**
+ * Result code of the `read_index` callback.
+ */
+typedef enum eFileIndexerResult {
+  /**
+   * File listing entries are loaded from the index. Reading entries from the blend file itself
+   * should be skipped.
+   */
+  FILE_INDEXER_ENTRIES_LOADED,
+
+  /**
+   * Index isn't available or not upto date. Entries should be read from te blend file and
+   * `update_index` must be called to update the index.
+   */
+  FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE,
+} eFileIndexerResult;
+
+/**
+ * FileIndexerEntry contains all data that is required to create a file listing entry.
+ */
+typedef struct FileIndexerEntry {
+  struct BLODataBlockInfo datablock_info;
+  short idcode;
+} FileIndexerEntry;
+
+/**
+ * Contains all entries of a blend file.
+ */
+typedef struct FileIndexerEntries {
+  struct LinkNode /* FileIndexerEntry */ *entries;
+} FileIndexerEntries;
+
+typedef void *(*FileIndexerInitUserDataFunc)(const char *root_directory,
+                                             size_t root_directory_maxlen);
+typedef void (*FileIndexerFreeUserDataFunc)(void *);
+typedef void (*FileIndexerFinishedFunc)(void *);
+typedef eFileIndexerResult (*FileIndexerReadIndexFunc)(const char *file_name,
+                                                       FileIndexerEntries *entries,
+                                                       int *r_read_entries_len,
+                                                       void *user_data);
+typedef void (*FileIndexerUpdateIndexFunc)(const char *file_name,
+                                           FileIndexerEntries *entries,
+                                           void *user_data);
+
+typedef struct FileIndexerType {
+  /**
+   * Is called at the beginning of the file listing process. An indexer can
+   * setup needed data. The result of this function will be passed around as `user_data` parameter.
+   *
+   * This is an optional callback.
+   */
+  FileIndexerInitUserDataFunc init_user_data;
+
+  /**
+   * Is called at the end of the file listing process. An indexer can free the data that it created
+   * during the file listing process.
+   *
+   * This is an optional callback */
+  FileIndexerFreeUserDataFunc free_user_data;
+
+  /**
+   * Is called at the end of the file listing process (before the `free_user_data`) where indexes
+   * can perform clean-ups.
+   *
+   * This is an optinal callback. Called when listing files completed.
+   */
+  FileIndexerFinishedFunc filelist_finished;
+
+  /**
+   * Is called for each blend file being listed to read data from the index.
+   *
+   * Read entries should be added to given `entries` parameter (type: `FileIndexerEntries`).
+   * `*r_read_entries_len` must be set to the number of read entries.
+   * and the function must return `eFileIndexerResult::FILE_INDEXER_ENTRIES_LOADED`.
+   * In this case the blend file will not be opened and the FileIndexerEntry added to `entries`
+   * will be used as the content of the file.
+   *
+   * When the index isn't available or could not be used no entries must be added to the
+   * entries field, `r_read_entries_len` must be set to `0` and the function must return
+   * `eFileIndexerResult::FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE`. In this case the blend file will read from
+   * the blend file and the `update_index` function will be called.
+   */
+  FileIndexerReadIndexFunc read_index;
+
+  /**
+   * Update an index of a blend file.
+   *
+   * Is called after reading entries from the file when the result of `read_index` was
+   * `eFileIndexerResult::FILE_INDEXER_NEED_UPDATE`. The callback should update the index so the
+   * next time that read_index is called it will read the entries from the index.
+   */
+  FileIndexerUpdateIndexFunc update_index;
+} FileIndexerType;
+
+/* file_indexer.cc */
+
+/** Removes all entries inside the given `indexer_entries`. */
+void ED_file_indexer_entries_clear(FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries);
+
+/**
+ * Adds all entries from the given `datablock_infos` to the `indexer_entries`.
+ * The datablock_infos must only contain data for a single IDType. The specific IDType must be
+ * passed in the `idcode` parameter.
+ */
+void ED_file_indexer_entries_extend_from_datablock_infos(
+    FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries,
+    const LinkNode * /* BLODataBlockInfo */ datablock_infos,
+    const int idcode);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/CMakeLists.txt b/source/blender/editors/space_file/CMakeLists.txt
index 4b508f16c1e..1651269869e 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_file/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 set(INC
   ../include
+  ../asset
   ../../blenfont
   ../../blenkernel
   ../../blenlib
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ set(INC
 set(SRC
   asset_catalog_tree_view.cc
   file_draw.c
+  file_indexer.cc
   file_ops.c
   file_panels.c
   file_utils.c
@@ -44,6 +46,7 @@ set(SRC
   fsmenu.c
   space_file.c
 
+  file_indexer.h
   file_intern.h
   filelist.h
   fsmenu.h
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.cc b/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.cc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..95e0afd7a1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+ * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+/** \file
+ * \ingroup edfile
+ *
+ * This file implements the default file browser indexer and has some helper function to work with
+ * `FileIndexerEntries`.
+ */
+#include "file_indexer.h"
+
+#include "MEM_guardedalloc.h"
+
+#include "BLI_linklist.h"
+#include "BLI_listbase.h"
+#include "BLI_string.h"
+#include "BLI_utildefines.h"
+
+namespace blender::ed::file::indexer {
+
+static eFileIndexerResult read_index(const char *UNUSED(file_name),
+                                     FileIndexerEntries *UNUSED(entries),
+                                     int *UNUSED(r_read_entries_len),
+                                     void *UNUSED(user_data))
+{
+  return FILE_INDEXER_NEEDS_UPDATE;
+}
+
+static void update_index(const char *UNUSED(file_name),
+                         FileIndexerEntries *UNUSED(entries),
+                         void *UNUSED(user_data))
+{
+}
+
+constexpr FileIndexerType default_indexer()
+{
+  FileIndexerType indexer = {nullptr};
+  indexer.read_index = read_index;
+  indexer.update_index = update_index;
+  return indexer;
+}
+
+static FileIndexerEntry *file_indexer_entry_create_from_datablock_info(
+    const BLODataBlockInfo *datablock_info, const int idcode)
+{
+  FileIndexerEntry *entry = static_cast<FileIndexerEntry *>(
+      MEM_mallocN(sizeof(FileIndexerEntry), __func__));
+  entry->datablock_info = *datablock_info;
+  entry->idcode = idcode;
+  return entry;
+}
+
+}  // namespace blender::ed::file::indexer
+
+extern "C" {
+
+void ED_file_indexer_entries_extend_from_datablock_infos(
+    FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries,
+    const LinkNode * /* BLODataBlockInfo */ datablock_infos,
+    const int idcode)
+{
+  for (const LinkNode *ln = datablock_infos; ln; ln = ln->next) {
+    const BLODataBlockInfo *datablock_info = static_cast<const BLODataBlockInfo *>(ln->link);
+    FileIndexerEntry *file_indexer_entry =
+        blender::ed::file::indexer::file_indexer_entry_create_from_datablock_info(datablock_info,
+                                                                                  idcode);
+    BLI_linklist_prepend(&indexer_entries->entries, file_indexer_entry);
+  }
+}
+
+static void ED_file_indexer_entry_free(void *indexer_entry)
+{
+  MEM_freeN(indexer_entry);
+}
+
+void ED_file_indexer_entries_clear(FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries)
+{
+  BLI_linklist_free(indexer_entries->entries, ED_file_indexer_entry_free);
+  indexer_entries->entries = nullptr;
+}
+
+const FileIndexerType file_indexer_noop = blender::ed::file::indexer::default_indexer();
+}
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.h b/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ea42f10498b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/file_indexer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2
+ * of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
+ * Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.
+ */
+
+/** \file
+ * \ingroup edfile
+ */
+#pragma once
+
+#include "ED_file_indexer.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * Default indexer to use when listing files. The implementation is a no-operation indexing. When
+ * set it won't use indexing. It is added to increase the code clarity.
+ */
+extern const FileIndexerType file_indexer_noop;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.c b/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.c
index 045ebd10c0a..d4e9118960a 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.c
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.c
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@
 
 #include "atomic_ops.h"
 
+#include "file_indexer.h"
 #include "file_intern.h"
 #include "filelist.h"
 
@@ -396,6 +397,11 @@ typedef struct FileList {
 
   FileListFilter filter_data;
 
+  /**
+   * File indexer to use. Attribute is always set.
+   */
+  const struct FileIndexerType *indexer;
+
   struct FileListIntern filelist_intern;
 
   struct FileListEntryCache filelist_cache;
@@ -1126,6 +1132,19 @@ void filelist_setfilter_options(FileList *filelist,
 }
 
 /**
+ * Set the indexer to be used by the filelist.
+ *
+ * The given indexer allocation should be handled by the caller or defined statically.
+ */
+void filelist_setindexer(FileList *filelist, const FileIndexerType *indexer)
+{
+  BLI_assert(filelist);
+  BLI_assert(indexer);
+
+  filelist->indexer = indexer;
+}
+
+/**
  * \param catalog_id: The catalog that should be filtered by if \a catalog_visibility is
  *                    #FILE_SHOW_ASSETS_FROM_CATALOG. May be NULL otherwise.
  */
@@ -1830,6 +1849,8 @@ FileList *filelist_new(short type)
   p->filelist.nbr_entries = FILEDIR_NBR_ENTRIES_UNSET;
   filelist_settype(p, type);
 
+  p->indexer = &file_indexer_noop;
+
   return p;
 }
 
@@ -3120,6 +3141,29 @@ static FileListInternEntry *filelist_readjob_list_lib_group_create(const int idc
   return entry;
 }
 
+static void filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablock(ListBase *entries,
+                                                    const BLODataBlockInfo *datablock_info,
+                                                    const bool prefix_relpath_with_group_name,
+                                                    const int idcode,
+                                                    const char *group_name)
+{
+  FileListInternEntry *entry = MEM_callocN(sizeof(*entry), __func__);
+  if (prefix_relpath_with_group_name) {
+    entry->relpath = BLI_sprintfN("%s/%s", group_name, datablock_info->name);
+  }
+  else {
+    entry->relpath = BLI_strdup(datablock_info->name);
+  }
+  entry->typeflag |= FILE_TYPE_BLENDERLIB;
+  if (datablock_info && datablock_info->asset_data) {
+    entry->typeflag |= FILE_TYPE_ASSET;
+    /* Moves ownership! */
+    entry->imported_asset_data = datablock_info->asset_data;
+  }
+  entry->blentype = idcode;
+  BLI_addtail(entries, entry);
+}
+
 static void filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablocks(ListBase *entries,
                                                      LinkNode *datablock_infos,
                                                      const bool prefix_relpath_with_group_name,
@@ -3127,29 +3171,71 @@ static void filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablocks(ListBase *entries,
                                                      const char *group_name)
 {
   for (LinkNode *ln = datablock_infos; ln; ln = ln->next) {
-    struct BLODataBlockInfo *info = ln->link;
-    FileListInternEntry *entry = MEM_callocN(sizeof(*entry), __func__);
-    if (prefix_relpath_with_group_name) {
-      entry->relpath = BLI_sprintfN("%s/%s", group_name, info->name);
-    }
-    else {
-      entry->relpath = BLI_strdup(info->name);
-    }
-    entry->typeflag |= FILE_TYPE_BLENDERLIB;
-    if (info && info->asset_data) {
-      entry->typeflag |= FILE_TYPE_ASSET;
-      /* Moves ownership! */
-      entry->imported_asset_data = info->asset_data;
-    }
-    entry->blentype = idcode;
+    struct BLODataBlockInfo *datablock_info = ln->link;
+    filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablock(
+        entries, datablock_info, prefix_relpath_with_group_name, idcode, group_name);
+  }
+}
+
+static void filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_from_indexer_entries(
+    ListBase *entries,
+    const FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries,
+    const bool prefix_relpath_with_group_name)
+{
+  for (const LinkNode *ln = indexer_entries->entries; ln; ln = ln->next) {
+    const FileIndexerEntry *indexer_entry = (const FileIndexerEntry *)ln->link;
+    const char *group_name = BKE_idtype_idcode_to_name(indexer_entry->idcode);
+    filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablock(entries,
+                                            &indexer_entry->datablock_info,
+                                            prefix_relpath_with_group_name,
+                                            indexer_entry->idcode,
+                                            group_name);
+  }
+}
+
+static FileListInternEntry *filelist_readjob_list_lib_navigate_to_parent_entry_create(void)
+{
+  FileListInternEntry *entry = MEM_callocN(sizeof(*entry), __func__);
+  entry->relpath = BLI_strdup(FILENAME_PARENT);
+  entry->typeflag |= (FILE_TYPE_BLENDERLIB | FILE_TYPE_DIR);
+  return entry;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Structure to keep the file indexer and its user data together.
+ */
+typedef struct FileIndexer {
+  const FileIndexerType *callbacks;
+
+  /**
+   * User data. Contains the result of `callbacks.init_user_data`.
+   */
+  void *user_data;
+} FileIndexer;
+
+static int filelist_readjob_list_lib_populate_from_index(ListBase *entries,
+                                                         const ListLibOptions options,
+                                                         const int read_from_index,
+                                                         const FileIndexerEntries *indexer_entries)
+{
+  int navigate_to_parent_len = 0;
+  if (options & LIST_LIB_ADD_PARENT) {
+    FileListInternEntry *entry = filelist_readjob_list_lib_navigate_to_parent_entry_create();
     BLI_addtail(entries, entry);
+    navigate_to_parent_len = 1;
   }
+
+  filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_from_indexer_entries(entries, indexer_entries, true);
+  return read_from_index + navigate_to_parent_len;
 }
 
 static int filelist_readjob_list_lib(const char *root,
                                      ListBase *entries,
-                                     const ListLibOptions options)
+                                     const ListLibOptions options,
+                                     FileIndexer *indexer_runtime)
 {
+  BLI_assert(indexer_runtime);
+
   char dir[FILE_MAX_LIBEXTRA], *group;
 
   struct BlendHandle *libfiledata = NULL;
@@ -3157,13 +3243,37 @@ static int filelist_readjob_list_lib(const char *root,
   /* Check if the given root is actually a library. All folders are passed to
    * `filelist_readjob_list_lib` and based on the number of found entries `filelist_readjob_do`
    * will do a dir listing only when this function does not return any entries. */
-  /* TODO: We should consider introducing its own function to detect if it is a lib and
+  /* TODO(jbakker): We should consider introducing its own function to detect if it is a lib and
    * call it directly from `filelist_readjob_do` to increase readability. */
   const bool is_lib = BLO_library_path_explode(root, dir, &group, NULL);
   if (!is_lib) {
     return 0;
   }
 
+  const bool group_came_from_path = group != NULL;
+
+  /* Try read from indexer_runtime. */
+  /* Indexing returns all entries in a blend file. We should ignore the index when listing a group
+   * inside a blend file, so the `entries` isn't filled with undesired entries.
+   * This happens when linking or appending data-blocks, where you can navigate into a group (fe
+   * Materials/Objects) where you only want to work with partial indexes.
+   *
+   * Adding support for partial reading/updating indexes would increase the complexity.
+   */
+  const bool use_indexer = !group_came_from_path;
+  FileIndexerEntries indexer_entries = {NULL};
+  if (use_indexer) {
+    int read_from_index = 0;
+    eFileIndexerResult indexer_result = indexer_runtime->callbacks->read_index(
+        dir, &indexer_entries, &read_from_index, indexer_runtime->user_data);
+    if (indexer_result == FILE_INDEXER_ENTRIES_LOADED) {
+      int entries_read = filelist_readjob_list_lib_populate_from_index(
+          entries, options, read_from_index, &indexer_entries);
+      ED_file_indexer_entries_clear(&indexer_entries);
+      return entries_read;
+    }
+  }
+
   /* Open the library file. */
   BlendFileReadReport bf_reports = {.reports = NULL};
   libfiledata = BLO_blendhandle_from_file(dir, &bf_reports);
@@ -3172,18 +3282,18 @@ static int filelist_readjob_list_lib(const char *root,
   }
 
   /* Add current parent when requested. */
-  int parent_len = 0;
+  /* Is the navigate to previous level added to the list of entries. When added the return value
+   * should be increased to match the actual number of entries added. It is introduced to keep
+   * the code clean and readable and not counting in a single variable. */
+  int navigate_to_parent_len = 0;
   if (options & LIST_LIB_ADD_PARENT) {
-    FileListInternEntry *entry = MEM_callocN(sizeof(*entry), __func__);
-    entry->relpath = BLI_strdup(FILENAME_PARENT);
-    entry->typeflag |= (FILE_TYPE_BLENDERLIB | FILE_TYPE_DIR);
+    FileListInternEntry *entry = filelist_readjob_list_lib_navigate_to_parent_entry_create();
     BLI_addtail(entries, entry);
-    parent_len = 1;
+    navigate_to_parent_len = 1;
   }
 
   int group_len = 0;
   int datablock_len = 0;
-  const bool group_came_from_path = group != NULL;
   if (group_came_from_path) {
     const int idcode = groupname_to_code(group);
     LinkNode *datablock_infos = BLO_blendhandle_get_datablock_info(
@@ -3208,6 +3318,10 @@ static int filelist_readjob_list_lib(const char *root,
             libfiledata, idcode, options & LIST_LIB_ASSETS_ONLY, &group_datablock_len);
         filelist_readjob_list_lib_add_datablocks(
             entries, group_datablock_infos, true, idcode, group_name);
+        if (use_indexer) {
+          ED_file_indexer_entries_extend_from_datablock_infos(
+              &indexer_entries, group_datablock_infos, idcode);
+        }
         BLI_linklist_freeN(group_datablock_infos);
         datablock_len += group_datablock_len;
       }
@@ -3218,8 +3332,14 @@ static int filelist_readjob_list_lib(const char *root,
 
   BLO_blendhandle_close(libfiledata);
 
+  /* Update the index. */
+  if (use_indexer) {
+    indexer_runtime->callbacks->update_index(dir, &indexer_entries, indexer_runtime->user_data);
+    ED_file_indexer_entries_clear(&indexer_entries);
+  }
+
   /* Return the number of items added to entries. */
-  int added_entries_len = group_len + datablock_len + parent_len;
+  int added_entries_len = group_len + datablock_len + navigate_to_parent_len;
   return added_entries_len;
 }
 
@@ -3411,11 +3531,11 @@ typedef struct FileListReadJob {
    * The job system calls #filelist_readjob_update which moves any read file from #tmp_filelist
    * into #filelist in a thread-safe way.
    *
-   * #tmp_filelist also keeps an `AssetLibrary *` so that it can be loaded in the same thread, and
-   * moved to #filelist once all categories are loaded.
+   * #tmp_filelist also keeps an `AssetLibrary *` so that it can be loaded in the same thread,
+   * and moved to #filelist once all categories are loaded.
    *
-   * NOTE: #tmp_filelist is freed in #filelist_readjob_free, so any copied pointers need to be set
-   * to NULL to avoid double-freeing them. */
+   * NOTE: #tmp_filelist is freed in #filelist_readjob_free, so any copied pointers need to be
+   * set to NULL to avoid double-freeing them. */
   struct FileList *tmp_filelist;
 } FileListReadJob;
 
@@ -3452,8 +3572,8 @@ static bool filelist_readjob_should_recurse_into_entry(const int max_recursion,
     /* No more levels of recursion left. */
     return false;
   }
-  /* Show entries when recursion is set to `Blend file` even when `current_recursion_level` exceeds
-   * `max_recursion`. */
+  /* Show entries when recursion is set to `Blend file` even when `current_recursion_level`
+   * exceeds `max_recursion`. */
   if (!is_lib && (current_recursion_level >= max_recursion) &&
       ((entry->typeflag & (FILE_TYPE_BLENDER | FILE_TYPE_BLENDER_BACKUP)) == 0)) {
     return false;
@@ -3501,6 +3621,12 @@ static void filelist_readjob_recursive_dir_add_items(const bool do_lib,
   BLI_path_normalize_dir(job_params->main_name, dir);
   td_dir->dir = BLI_strdup(dir);
 
+  /* Init the file indexer. */
+  FileIndexer indexer_runtime = {.callbacks = filelist->indexer};
+  if (indexer_runtime.callbacks->init_user_data) {
+    indexer_runtime.user_data = indexer_runtime.callbacks->init_user_data(dir, sizeof(dir));
+  }
+
   while (!BLI_stack_is_empty(todo_dirs) && !(*stop)) {
     FileListInternEntry *entry;
     int nbr_entries = 0;
@@ -3543,7 +3669,8 @@ static void filelist_readjob_recursive_dir_add_items(const bool do_lib,
       if (filelist->asset_library_ref) {
         list_lib_options |= LIST_LIB_ASSETS_ONLY;
       }
-      nbr_entries = filelist_readjob_list_lib(subdir, &entries, list_lib_options);
+      nbr_entries = filelist_readjob_list_lib(
+          subdir, &entries, list_lib_options, &indexer_runtime);
       if (nbr_entries > 0) {
         is_lib = true;
       }
@@ -3585,6 +3712,15 @@ static void filelist_readjob_recursive_dir_add_items(const bool do_lib,
     MEM_freeN(subdir);
   }
 
+  /* Finalize and free indexer. */
+  if (indexer_runtime.callbacks->filelist_finished && BLI_stack_is_empty(todo_dirs)) {
+    indexer_runtime.callbacks->filelist_finished(indexer_runtime.user_data);
+  }
+  if (indexer_runtime.callbacks->free_user_data && indexer_runtime.user_data) {
+    indexer_runtime.callbacks->free_user_data(indexer_runtime.user_data);
+    indexer_runtime.user_data = NULL;
+  }
+
   /* If we were interrupted by stop, stack may not be empty and we need to free
    * pending dir paths. */
   while (!BLI_stack_is_empty(todo_dirs)) {
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.h b/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.h
index 0048a349dca..e7cda106224 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.h
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/filelist.h
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 struct AssetLibraryReference;
 struct BlendHandle;
+struct FileIndexerType;
 struct FileList;
 struct FileSelection;
 struct bUUID;
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ void filelist_setfilter_options(struct FileList *filelist,
                                 const bool filter_assets_only,
                                 const char *filter_glob,
                                 const char *filter_search);
+void filelist_setindexer(struct FileList *filelist, const struct FileIndexerType *indexer);
 void filelist_set_asset_catalog_filter_options(
     struct FileList *filelist,
     eFileSel_Params_AssetCatalogVisibility catalog_visibility,
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_file/space_file.c b/source/blender/editors/space_file/space_file.c
index ef503708335..f2a01c9db6b 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_file/space_file.c
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_file/space_file.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 #include "MEM_guardedalloc.h"
 
 #include "BLI_blenlib.h"
+#include "BLI_linklist.h"
 #include "BLI_utildefines.h"
 
 #include "BKE_appdir.h"
@@ -43,6 +44,7 @@
 #include "WM_message.h"
 #include "WM_types.h"
 
+#include "ED_asset_indexer.h"
 #include "ED_asset.h"
 #include "ED_fileselect.h"
 #include "ED_screen.h"
@@ -353,6 +355,10 @@ static void file_refresh(const bContext *C, ScrArea *area)
         sfile->files, asset_params->asset_catalog_visibility, &asset_params->catalog_id);
   }
 
+  if (ED_fileselect_is_asset_browser(sfile)) {
+    filelist_setindexer(sfile->files, &file_indexer_asset);
+  }
+
   /* Update the active indices of bookmarks & co. */
   sfile->systemnr = fsmenu_get_active_indices(fsmenu, FS_CATEGORY_SYSTEM, params->dir);
   sfile->system_bookmarknr = fsmenu_get_active_indices(