Kode

A compiled language that is easy to write and cheap to run. Python-readable, JavaScript-familiar, compiled to small native binaries, built for cloud backends and for AI agents to write.

fn fib(n: int) -> int {
    if n < 2 {
        return n
    }
    return fib(n - 1) + fib(n - 2)
}

name = "Asha"
print("${name}: fib(30) =", fib(30))

Kode is written in Rust. The compiler turns source into a native program:

source -> lexer -> parser -> AST -> type check -> MIR -> Cranelift -> object file -> linker -> binary

Status: v0.2 (working)

Works today: int, float, bool, string; variables and constants; operators; if, while, for over ranges, lists and maps, break, continue, match; functions with recursion and named arguments; lists [T] and maps {string: T}; classes with methods and defaults; enums; optionals T? with ?., ??, !; errors with throw, try / catch and expr catch e { ... }; imports across files; test blocks; reference-counted memory with a leak checker; errors with codes, hints and JSON output.

Tools: kode run | build | check | test | fmt | explain | mir.

Next: concurrency (spawn / await), an HTTP server and JSON, then budgets and AI features. See docs/ROADMAP.md and the one-page cheat sheet.

Measured on one dev machine (recursive Fibonacci of 35): Kode about 0.06 s, Python about 0.9 to 1.8 s, release binary about 330 KB. Treat this as a first data point, not a claim. See benchmarks/.

Build and run

Needs Rust 1.91 or newer and a C compiler (cc). On a Mac: xcode-select --install.

cargo build --workspace
cargo test --workspace
./target/debug/kode run examples/hello.kode

To type just kode in this terminal:

export PATH="$PWD/target/debug:$PATH"
kode run examples/tour.kode

Commands

Command	What it does
kode run file.kode	compile and run
kode build file.kode [-o out] [--release]	make a native binary
kode check file.kode	errors only, no code generation
kode test [file or folder]	run test blocks
kode fmt <files or folders> [--check]	format source files
kode explain E0201	explain an error code
kode tokens file.kode	print tokens (debugging)
kode ast file.kode	print the syntax tree (debugging)
kode mir file.kode	print the MIR, including retain/release (debugging)
--format=json	diagnostics as JSON, for editors and AI agents
--strict	warnings count as errors

Repository map

crates/
  kode-diagnostics/   spans and error messages (human + JSON)
  kode-syntax/        tokens, lexer, AST, parser
  kode-sema/          names and types
  kode-mir/           mid-level IR, lowering, dump, verifier
  kode-codegen/       MIR -> Cranelift -> object file -> linker
  kode-rt/            runtime library linked into every program
  kode-cli/           the `kode` command
tests/run-pass/       programs that must run (.kode + .out), checked for leaks
tests/compile-fail/   programs that must fail (.kode + .err with the error code)
examples/             small programs
benchmarks/           proof of the cost claims
docs/                 spec, design notes, decisions (ADRs), roadmap, error codes

License

MIT