mruby/mruby
Mruby
mruby is a lightweight Ruby interpreter designed to be embedded into C applications. It compiles Ruby source code into a compact, platform-independent bytecode that executes on a register-based virtual machine, and exposes a stable C API for host programs to initialize the interpreter, load bytecode, and invoke Ruby methods at runtime.
The interpreter distinguishes itself through a tightly coupled parser and compiler that performs lexical analysis, syntax parsing, and bytecode generation in a single pass without constructing an intermediate AST, minimizing memory overhead. It also includes a gems packaging system that organizes C extensions and Ruby libraries into versioned packages with metadata files for runtime loading and resolution, and a single-file build system that assembles all interpreter source and headers into one C file and one header for trivial integration into other projects.
The project covers the full pipeline of translating Ruby source into portable bytecode, packaging extensions as gems, and distributing a minimal runtime for resource-constrained environments. Its documentation and build surface are centered around the single-file library distribution, which simplifies inclusion in host projects without complex build steps.
Features
- Bytecode Interpreters - An embeddable interpreter that compiles Ruby source code into portable bytecode for execution in C applications.
- Source-to-Bytecode Compilers - Compiles Ruby source files into portable bytecode that any compatible interpreter can load and run.
- C-Based Embedding APIs - Exposes a stable C interface for host applications to initialize the interpreter, load bytecode, and invoke Ruby methods.
- Embedded Script Execution - Links the library into a C application so it can execute Ruby scripts at runtime.
- Embedded Scripting Engines - A C library that links into host programs to run Ruby scripts at runtime without a separate runtime environment.
- Register-Based Bytecode - Uses a fixed set of virtual registers instead of a stack to execute bytecode, reducing instruction count and improving speed.
- Scripting Runtimes - Adds a lightweight Ruby interpreter to a C application so it can run user-defined scripts at runtime.
- Single-File Libraries - Ships a single-file C library distribution for trivial integration into host projects.
- Single-File C Library Builds - Assembles all interpreter source and headers into one C file and one header for trivial integration into other projects.
- Ruby Gem Packaging - Organises C extensions and Ruby libraries into versioned packages with metadata files for runtime loading and resolution.
- Single-Pass Compilation - Combines lexical analysis, syntax parsing, and bytecode generation into a single pass without intermediate AST construction.
- Cross-Platform Compilers - Compiles Ruby source code into portable bytecode that runs on any platform with a compatible interpreter.
- Minimal Ruby Distributions - Packages a stripped-down Ruby runtime for resource-constrained environments like embedded systems or IoT devices.
- Compile-Time Code Generation - Translates Ruby source into bytecode ahead of execution using a recursive-descent parser and code generator.
- Language Implementations - Lightweight, embeddable Ruby implementation.
- Ruby Frameworks and Tools - Lightweight Ruby implementation.
