Open-source alternatives to XLua

Tengine is an enhanced Nginx web server distribution designed for high-traffic environments. It functions as a high-performance reverse proxy, dynamic load balancer, and HTTP/3 proxy server, integrating an embedded Lua scripting engine to allow for custom business logic and dynamic request processing. The project distinguishes itself through a focus on modern transport protocols and efficiency, featuring native support for QUIC and HTTP/3 to reduce connection latency. It implements userspace UDP forwarding to bypass the kernel for higher throughput and provides the ability to dynamically upda

LuaJIT is a high-performance Lua language implementation and just-in-time compiler. It functions as an embedded scripting engine and dynamic binary translator that converts portable bytecode into native machine code during execution. The project focuses on high-performance scripting by translating bytecode into architecture-specific instructions to achieve execution speeds close to compiled C code. It utilizes a lightweight runtime environment designed for minimal memory overhead. The system supports binary data processing via bitwise operations and enables asynchronous task management throu

This project is an NGINX module that embeds the Lua scripting language directly into the server environment. It functions as a request processor and response filter, enabling the execution of scripts to handle HTTP requests, generate dynamic content, and manage server behavior without external application calls. The module provides a shared memory dictionary and cache manager, allowing data to be stored and retrieved across all active worker processes. This capability supports the collection of high-performance server metrics and the synchronization of information across concurrent processes.

Luau is a high-performance programming language evolved from Lua 5.1. It consists of a bytecode virtual machine, an embeddable scripting engine, and a static code analyzer designed to provide a secure, sandboxed execution environment for host applications. The project is distinguished by its gradual typing system, which combines automatic type inference with optional manual annotations to detect bugs without requiring full static typing. It also features native vector mathematics for high-performance operations and a specialized debugging system that uses bytecode patching to minimize executi

JSPatch is a JavaScript native bridge and method swizzler that allows for the dynamic injection of logic into a hosted native environment. It functions as a cross-language data mapper and execution engine, enabling the replacement of native function pointers with JavaScript wrappers to modify application behavior at runtime. The project provides the ability to perform runtime application patching by overriding native class methods and object properties. This allows for the modification of application logic and the application of hotfixes using JavaScript code loaded from local files or remote

pybind11 is a header-only C++ binding library that exposes C++ functions and classes as Python modules. It serves as a language bridge, mapping native types, inheritance hierarchies, and lambda functions into compatible Python objects to enable high-performance native code execution. The library includes specialized integration for NumPy arrays, utilizing buffer protocols to bind native C++ data without copying memory. It provides a toolkit for mapping C++ standard library data structures and smart pointers into the Python environment while maintaining cross-language memory management. The p

AndFix is a binary patching framework and update system for Android applications. It provides tools for generating binary diffs and applying runtime method replacements to fix bugs without requiring a full application update. The system utilizes a binary diff generator to isolate minimal code changes between package versions. It supports the consolidation of multiple incremental patches into a single update file and employs native hooks to replace specific method implementations in memory during the application initialization phase. The framework covers capabilities for binary patch generati

Rhino is a Java-based JavaScript engine that implements an ECMAScript compatibility layer for execution inside a Java virtual machine. It serves as an embedded scripting engine and a scripting bridge, allowing JavaScript code to be integrated and executed within Java applications. The project facilitates direct inter-language communication by mapping Java classes and objects into a JavaScript environment. This integration enables scripts to interact with internal system services and native host objects through a dedicated mapping mechanism. The engine optimizes performance by compiling JavaS

ChakraCore is an embedded JavaScript engine designed to be integrated as a library within a host application. Its primary purpose is to provide a programmable scripting layer and a lightweight runtime environment for executing JavaScript code and managing state via a programmatic interface. The project focuses on bridging high-level scripting with low-level system calls through a C API. This allows developers to implement custom scripting engines and embed JavaScript execution directly into applications to enable task automation and functional extensions. The engine utilizes a bytecode-based

Wren is a bytecode-compiled, class-based scripting language designed as an embeddable programming language. It provides a lightweight runtime and interface for executing dynamic scripts directly within host software applications. The engine utilizes a single-pass compiler to transform source code into compact bytecode and a virtual machine to process those instructions. It supports concurrent task execution through a system of lightweight fibers and coroutines. The language implements a class-based object model with dynamic message dispatch for organizing code into reusable components. It al

Lua is an embeddable scripting language written in ISO C, designed to be integrated into host applications for runtime customization. It provides a C-based scripting engine and a prototype-based object model that utilizes associative arrays and metatables to implement inheritance and complex data structures. The language features a cooperative multitasking system that manages concurrent execution threads via coroutines and an incremental garbage collector for automatic memory management. It includes a safe code sandbox to isolate global state and run untrusted scripts within a protected envir

Rhai is an embedded scripting engine and dynamically typed language designed for integration into Rust applications. It functions as an abstract syntax tree compiler and native interop layer, allowing developers to map Rust types and functions into a scripting environment for bidirectional communication. The project serves as a framework for creating customizable domain-specific languages. It allows for the definition of custom operators, syntax, and restricted execution environments, enabling the creation of specialized languages with tailored functional sets. The engine covers a broad rang

mpv.net is a Windows graphical user interface for the mpv media player. It serves as a customizable multimedia frontend and hardware-accelerated video player that renders high-fidelity video and audio content. The project distinguishes itself by providing a searchable graphical interface for managing player settings and configuration files, alongside a themeable visual style. It supports extensibility through a scripting engine and allows for external playback management via JSON-based communication and command line interfaces. The application covers a broad range of media playback capabilit

Gravity is an embeddable, bytecode-compiled programming language designed to provide programmable logic within host applications. It is a garbage-collected language that utilizes a mark-and-sweep system to automate memory management and prevent leaks. The language is characterized by a concurrent fiber-based execution model, allowing multiple non-blocking tasks to run simultaneously. It also functions as a JSON-native language, featuring built-in serialization tools to convert complex data structures to and from JSON format. The project includes a virtual machine and a compiler that transfor

Stetho is a debug bridge that connects Android applications to Chrome Developer Tools. It allows for the real-time inspection of network traffic, internal application state, and the user interface layout directly within a desktop browser. The project provides specialized inspectors for analyzing Android-specific components. This includes a network inspector for capturing HTTP requests and responses, an SQLite database browser for querying local storage, and a view hierarchy inspector for mapping UI elements and styles. Additional capabilities cover runtime execution via an embedded JavaScrip

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

godot-cpp is a C++ binding library and development kit for creating high-performance extensions and custom nodes for the Godot engine. It provides the necessary headers and framework to implement complex game logic and low-level systems using native code. The project enables the development of GDExtension plugins, allowing native libraries to be loaded into the engine without requiring a full recompilation of the core software. It facilitates the creation of custom engine extensions through a system of native bindings that map C++ classes and methods to the internal engine database. The fram

Trilium is a hierarchical personal knowledge base and digital garden tool designed to organize information into a tree of linked nodes. It functions as a JavaScript programmable wiki and a self-hosted note server, allowing users to maintain a private database of documents synchronized across multiple devices. The platform distinguishes itself through an embedded scripting engine for automating tasks and a REST API that exposes internal data and actions to external tools. Users can further extend the system by modifying the user interface layout and styling through a custom theme engine. The

Huginn is an open-source automation platform that functions as an event-driven task automator and webhook integration engine. It enables the creation of agents that monitor web data and automate tasks across various web services, operating as a self-hosted web scraper and JavaScript workflow orchestrator. The system uses a directed graph of event flows to route and transform data between external APIs. It differentiates itself by allowing custom JavaScript execution within workflows to modify data payloads and by integrating human-in-the-loop automation to insert manual judgment or data entry

Janet is a Lisp-based dynamic programming language featuring a register-based bytecode virtual machine and an embeddable scripting engine. It functions as a fiber-based concurrency runtime and includes a parsing engine based on Parsing Expression Grammars. The project is distinguished by its ability to be integrated into C or C++ applications via a minimal header interface. It utilizes a Lisp-style macro system for compile-time code transformation and employs prototype-based table inheritance for object-oriented behavior. The runtime covers a broad set of capabilities, including asynchronous

Yaegi is a Go language interpreter and embedded scripting engine that executes Go source code at runtime without requiring a separate compilation step. It provides a mechanism for evaluating Go expressions and files dynamically, functioning as both a library for compiled applications and a standalone read-eval-print-loop environment. The project enables the integration of dynamic Go scripts into compiled programs to allow for runtime extensibility and plugin development. It facilitates the conversion of interpreted symbols from evaluated scripts into usable interfaces and types within a compi

Cython is a compiler that translates Python code into C or C++ to create high-performance extension modules. It functions as a static typing optimizer and a C extension generator, allowing developers to declare C types within Python code to reduce interpreter overhead and increase execution speed. The project enables the wrapping of external C libraries to provide high-level interfaces to low-level system capabilities. It also serves as a native binary packager, capable of freezing scripts and their dependencies into standalone executable binaries for distribution. The system covers a broad

SkiaSharp is a cross-platform 2D graphics engine and .NET wrapper for the Skia Graphics Library. It provides a rendering API for drawing shapes, paths, and bitmaps across mobile, desktop, and server environments, functioning as both a raster graphics library and a hardware-accelerated drawing API. The project enables the creation of custom vector drawings and dynamic UI components through precise control over strokes, fills, and mathematical transformations. It also supports programmatic image manipulation, allowing for the loading and modification of pixel arrays. Its capabilities cover bas

GoCV is a computer vision library and Go language binding for OpenCV. It serves as an image processing toolkit and deep learning inference engine, providing programmatic access to a wide range of algorithms for image manipulation, object detection, and video analysis. The project differentiates itself through high-performance native bindings and hardware acceleration. It utilizes a foreign function interface to map Go calls to C++ functions and includes a hardware-agnostic backend dispatch to route neural network tasks to computation engines such as CUDA and OpenVINO. The library covers a br

Neon is a framework for writing high-performance native Node.js modules using the Rust programming language. It serves as a foreign function interface bridge and a toolchain for bootstrapping, compiling, and managing Rust-based extensions. The project provides a cross-language memory manager that handles buffers and object borrowing to ensure safe memory access between Rust and JavaScript. It enables the mapping of data types and function calls across the language boundary, allowing Rust functions to be exported to the script environment and JavaScript functions to be called from Rust. The f

This project is a Chromium-based mobile browser and rendering engine designed for mobile platforms. It functions as a web extension host, allowing the execution of browser extensions within a mobile environment to provide custom functionality. The project distinguishes itself through custom user interface modifications, such as the implementation of a specialized night mode and the relocation of the address bar for improved ergonomics. It also includes a remote debugging interface and protocol that allow an external developer console to connect to a live browser instance for inspecting and tr

matplotlib-cpp is a header-only C++ library and wrapper that enables the creation of 2D and 3D visualizations by calling Matplotlib functions directly from C++ code. It serves as a plotting interface for generating line plots, bar graphs, and surface charts using a Python-based backend. The library is designed as a lightweight integration that provides plotting capabilities without requiring a complex build process or compiled binaries. It covers a range of visualization capabilities, including multi-dimensional data rendering, vector field plotting, and the arrangement of multiple subplots.