Beariish/bolt

Free

High-performance, real-time optimized, and statically typed embedded language implemented in C.

FreeFree tier

Type

Open Source

Visit Website GitHub (38 stars)

About Beariish/bolt

Bolt is a lightweight, lightning-fast, type-safe embeddable language designed for real-time applications. Implemented in C with minimal dependencies (only the C standard library and libm on Unix), it achieves blazingly quick compilation speeds of over 500,000 lines of code per thread per second. The language features a rich static type system with support for type inference and narrowing, pattern matching, and easy embedding into existing C/C++ projects. Bolt includes a standard library with modules for file and system I/O, though these can be disabled. It is optimized for real-time performance and embed-first design, prioritizing inter-language performance and agility. The project is currently in a pre-stable state, and users may encounter compiler bugs or crashes.

Key Features

Lightning-fast compilation: over 500,000 lines of code per thread per second

Compact implementation with minimal build size impact

Rich static type system with type inference and pattern matching (e.g., match expression with type narrowing)

Ease of embedding: only a handful of lines required to integrate into C/C++ applications

Embed-first design prioritizing inter-language performance

Dependencies only on C standard library and libm on Unix; configurable memory allocator

Supports x64 and arm64 architectures

Includes standard library modules for file and system IO (optional)

Pros & Cons

Pros

Extremely fast compilation speeds
Lightweight and minimal footprint
Type safety helps catch errors at compile time
Easy to embed and integrate with C code
Open source and free to use
Rich standard library modules

Cons

Not yet stable; users may encounter compiler bugs and crashes
Only supports x64 and arm64; no 32-bit support and RISC-V untested
May produce warnings on some compilers (GCC, Clang)
Small community and limited ecosystem compared to established languages

Best For

Real-time applications requiring high performance and low latencyEmbedded systems where lightweight code is criticalScripting within larger C or C++ applicationsPerformance-critical software that needs a type-safe language

FAQ

Is Bolt stable for production use?

No, Bolt is not yet stable. Users should expect to encounter compiler bugs and crashes.

What architectures does Bolt support?

Bolt currently builds on x64 and arm64. 32-bit architectures are explicitly not supported, and RISC-V is untested.

What are Bolt's dependencies?

Bolt only depends on the C standard library and libm on Unix-based systems. The memory allocator is configurable.

How do I embed Bolt in my application?

Bolt is designed for ease of embedding. The bolt-cli program provides a concise example, and the Bolt embedding guide contains detailed instructions.