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Nimble

Nimble is a register-based bytecode interpreter and scripting language implemented in Rust. It prioritizes readability, clear diagnostics, and a pragmatic standard library.

Key Features

  • Register-Based VM: Efficient execution using a register-file model per call frame.
  • Indentation-Sensitive: Python-inspired syntax for clean, readable code.
  • Optional Typing: Type annotations for clarity and basic static analysis.
  • Modern Error Handling: Errors as first-class values with ? propagation.
  • Extensible FFI: Call C-ABI symbols directly from shared libraries.

Architecture Overview

Nimble follows a standard compiler pipeline:

  1. Lexer: Hand-written, handles indentation and string interpolation.
  2. Parser: Recursive-descent parser producing a typed AST.
  3. Compiler: Translates AST to register-based bytecode.
  4. VM: Register-based virtual machine with stack-based frame management.

Quick Start

Build

cargo build --release

Run an Example

cargo run --release -- run examples/basic/functions/defs.nmb

Start the REPL

cargo run --release -- repl

Standard Library

The Nimble standard library includes modules for common tasks:

  • io: File and console I/O.
  • ffi: Foreign Function Interface for calling C libraries.
  • json: JSON parsing and serialization.
  • math, string, list, map, regex, time, os, path, process.

Verification

Run the test suite:

cargo test

License

MIT. See LICENSE.