What is this?
Crystal is an open-source, general-purpose programming language whose syntax is inspired by Ruby; it has been developed in the open on GitHub since 2012.
Crystal is an open-source, general-purpose programming language whose syntax is inspired by Ruby; it has been developed in the open on GitHub since 2012.Is it a framework, a library, or a full language?It is the language itself: this repository holds the Crystal compiler and its standard library, and the compiler turns your programs into efficient native code.
It is the language itself: this repository holds the Crystal compiler and its standard library, and the compiler turns your programs into efficient native code.How do I get it running, and can I try it before installing?Install the compiler by following the official installation instructions, or skip installing and try Crystal right in the browser at play.crystal-lang.org.
Install the compiler by following the official installation instructions, or skip installing and try Crystal right in the browser at play.crystal-lang.org.Can I reuse my existing C libraries with it?Yes — you call C code by writing bindings to it in Crystal, so native C libraries can be wrapped and used directly from your programs.
Yes — you call C code by writing bindings to it in Crystal, so native C libraries can be wrapped and used directly from your programs.If the syntax is like Ruby, will my Ruby code just work?No — Ruby compatibility is explicitly not a goal; the syntax is similar, but Crystal is a separate compiled language, not a Ruby implementation.
No — Ruby compatibility is explicitly not a goal; the syntax is similar, but Crystal is a separate compiled language, not a Ruby implementation.Do I have to write type annotations everywhere, like in Java or Go?No — Crystal is statically type-checked, but you do not specify the types of variables or method arguments; the compiler infers them.
No — Crystal is statically type-checked, but you do not specify the types of variables or method arguments; the compiler infers them.Does it have metaprogramming to cut down boilerplate?Yes — the language supports compile-time evaluation and code generation, so repetitive code can be produced at build time instead of written by hand.
Yes — the language supports compile-time evaluation and code generation, so repetitive code can be produced at build time instead of written by hand.Will a Crystal update break my existing programs?Within a major version, no — language features are not removed or changed in ways that stop programs from compiling, and standard library growth keeps backwards compatibility in mind.
Within a major version, no — language features are not removed or changed in ways that stop programs from compiling, and standard library growth keeps backwards compatibility in mind.What are similar projects?spinel, scala, morloc, CalcKernel, reason, TypeScript, Singeli, gleam
spinel, scala, morloc, CalcKernel, reason, TypeScript, Singeli, gleamWhich topics is it in?type-inference, object-oriented-programming, type-system, language, programming-language, ruby, native, programming, compiler, c, developers, hacktoberfest
type-inference, object-oriented-programming, type-system, language, programming-language, ruby, native, programming, compiler, c, developers, hacktoberfest