Open-source alternatives to Gopher Lua

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

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

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

xLua is a scripting bridge and C++ wrapper used to embed the Lua language into host applications. It facilitates bidirectional data exchange and function calls between scripts and the host environment. The project includes a runtime patching tool for replacing application logic and fixing bugs without requiring a system restart. It features a coroutine orchestrator that wraps asynchronous operations into linear code and a script validator that verifies digital signatures to ensure code authenticity and integrity before execution. To minimize memory overhead and garbage collection, the system

Expr is a high-performance expression evaluation engine and language for Go applications. It functions as a dynamic rule engine that parses and executes custom logic and data validations at runtime without requiring the application to be recompiled. The system utilizes a sandboxed logic executor to run expressions without side effects. It ensures program termination by employing instruction-level loop detection to prevent infinite loops and isolates the evaluation process from the host system. The engine employs a bytecode-based virtual machine and abstract syntax tree analysis to achieve ex

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

Wren is an embeddable, class-based scripting language and bytecode interpreter. It provides a dependency-free virtual machine designed for integrating dynamic script execution into host applications via a C API. The language is centered on a modern object-oriented model featuring inheritance, method overloading, and first-class functions. It utilizes a concurrent fiber runtime to manage lightweight, cooperatively scheduled execution paths without relying on operating system threads. The project includes a comprehensive suite of object-oriented primitives, closure-based state capture, and a m

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

TIC-80 is a fantasy console platform and multi-language game engine that provides a virtual retro game development environment. It operates via a bytecode virtual machine that executes game logic within fixed memory and resolution constraints. The project distinguishes itself by offering integrated asset editors for pixel art, tile maps, and a pattern-based chiptune audio workstation all within a single environment. It supports multi-language scripting, allowing developers to write logic in Lua, JavaScript, or Ruby, and provides a standalone game exporter to package projects into native execu

ChezScheme is a compiler and runtime environment for the Scheme programming language that transforms source code into optimized machine binaries. It serves as a high-performance implementation of the language, producing executable machine code for execution on physical hardware. The project features a native machine code compiler, a read-eval-print loop for executing and editing multi-line expressions in real time via a shell, and a generational garbage collected runtime for automatic memory management. It also includes a foreign function interface for integrating external C libraries and lan

Duktape is an embeddable JavaScript engine and portable scripting runtime designed for integration into C and C++ applications. It functions as a lightweight ECMAScript runtime that provides a C-JavaScript bridge for exchanging data and invoking functions between native code and a script execution environment. The engine includes an ECMAScript bytecode compiler that allows for the serialization and caching of compiled functions to disk to reduce application startup time. It organizes script dependencies using a CommonJS-compliant module loader. The runtime covers a variety of capabilities in

A Lua VM in Go

Scriptable interpreter written in golang

Expression evaluation in golang

PHP bindings for the Go programming language (Golang)

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

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

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

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

Cinder is a high-performance Python runtime implementation based on CPython. It is designed as an execution environment optimized for large-scale distributed systems and cloud environments. The project integrates a distributed memory cache and an asynchronous memory layer to manage data across multiple network nodes. It also provides a native C extension framework for developing high-performance compiled modules that link directly into the interpreter memory space. The system covers capabilities for asynchronous data retrieval, large-scale execution, and the integration of embedded scripting

Opal is a Ruby frontend framework and compiler that translates Ruby source code into JavaScript. It functions as a web runtime that allows for the development of client-side web applications using Ruby instead of JavaScript. The project includes a Ruby HTML template engine that evaluates Ruby code embedded directly within markup files. It further integrates with JavaScript environments by bundling core libraries and dependencies into a distribution string for execution in a web browser. The system provides capabilities for Ruby to JavaScript compilation and the ability to encode and decode B

This project is a collection of programming language references and syntax cheat sheets designed for rapid developer onboarding. It serves as a library of code-based documentation that uses valid source code files to provide whirlwind tours of various language specifications. The project focuses on programming language learning by providing concise, commented code examples that explain core features and syntax in place. This approach enables developers to quickly grasp language-specific patterns, data types, and execution flow through a consistent reference format. The content covers a broad

Oils is a Unix shell interpreter and scripting language runtime that combines a modern shell language with POSIX and Bash compatibility. It functions as a structured data shell, integrating JSON and J8 formats to manage complex data without relying on string parsing. The system is distinguished by a C++ transpiled interpreter that converts a subset of Python source code into strongly typed C++ for high-performance execution. It features a garbage-collected typed runtime that supports prototype-based polymorphism, lexical closures, and reference-based variable mutation. To decouple shell logic

This project is a comprehensive guide and educational resource for the TypeScript language. It covers the fundamental principles of the language, including its structural type system, static type analysis, and the process of transpiling typed source files into JavaScript. The material details how to model complex data and reusable type logic using generics, conditional types, and mapped types. It also explains the use of declaration files to provide type safety for external JavaScript libraries and the integration of type checking into existing JavaScript projects via JSDoc annotations. The

OpenMW is a modern, open-source game engine designed to execute the game Morrowind and its expansions. It serves as a cross-platform game runtime and 3D world renderer, providing a data-driven environment to run game logic and physics with improved stability. The project functions as a game modding framework, utilizing a modular plugin system and an interpreted scripting layer to load external modifications. This architecture allows for the integration of community content, custom textures, and external scripts without altering the base executable code. The engine covers a broad range of cap

rusty_v8 is a Rust wrapper for the V8 JavaScript engine that allows for the embedding of a JavaScript runtime into native applications. It provides core components for managing engine bindings, memory allocation, sandboxed isolates, and the execution of WebAssembly modules. The project features a native host function bridge to map Rust functions to JavaScript objects and a dedicated memory allocator to manage thread-safe allocation and heap pressure. It includes a system for compiling and executing binary WebAssembly modules within the hosted native environment. The runtime covers capabiliti

The .NET Compiler Platform is a collection of open-source APIs for C# and Visual Basic that provides deep code analysis, refactoring, and automated source code generation. It serves as the core infrastructure for building development tools, offering a platform to inspect, modify, and understand source code through immutable syntax trees and semantic models. The platform distinguishes itself by providing full-fidelity syntax trees that preserve every character of source code, including whitespace and comments, alongside an incremental compilation pipeline that enables near-instant feedback dur