Chris Tate
3ea231d70d
Large executables were simplified and inlined as one module before the optimizer split them, so most of a release build ran on a single core, and any edit recompiled the whole program. The LLVM helper now divides the program before optimization. It splits the emitter's assembly text directly, so partitions also parse concurrently, and falls back to LLVM's module splitter for any input outside the emitter's grammar. Internal functions referenced by a single function stay with that function, and globals stay with their first user. Optimized partitions follow the ThinLTO model: each is simplified and summarized on its own thread, a thin link imports small functions across partitions for inlining and returns unexported hidden definitions to internal linkage, then each partition is optimized and compiled on its own thread. Unoptimized partitions compile independently, so dev builds of large programs are parallel too. A private per-helper cache directory stores simplified partitions under the hash of their source and objects under the hash of the module after importing, so a rebuild recompiles only the partitions an edit can affect. To keep unchanged partitions identical across edits, each partition numbers its metadata in first-use order, lists only the debug compile units it uses, and orders declarations by name, and interned string constants are named by their content rather than first-use order. Partition counts are powers of two that depend only on the module size, up to 64, so output stays the same on every host and functions keep their partition across ordinary edits. LLVM text that arrives in parts is written in large batches and handed to the helper in place instead of being written a second time.
scriptc
scriptc compiles TypeScript and JavaScript to native executables and WebAssembly. It uses TypeScript's type information to compile supported code to native instructions. Static builds run without Node.js or a JavaScript engine.
For npm dependencies and any-typed code, enable --dynamic to include the embedded quickjs-ng engine. Dependency JavaScript is included at build time.
scriptc is experimental and supports a subset of JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js APIs. See the limitations and Node.js compatibility reference before using it for an existing project.
Installation
Install with Node.js 24 or later and npm:
$ npm install -g scriptc
The installed compiler runs natively on supported macOS, Linux, and Windows hosts. Native compilation and execution do not require Node.js. Standalone compiler archives are also available from GitHub Releases.
Executable builds require a platform linker and SDK/sysroot. See the quickstart for prerequisites and platform support for host requirements, cross-compilation, and WebAssembly.
Build a program
Create hello.ts:
const who = process.argv.length > 2 ? process.argv[2] : "world";
console.log(`hello, ${who}`);
Compile and run it in one step:
$ scriptc run hello.ts
hello, world
Or write a standalone executable:
$ scriptc build hello.ts -o hello
$ ./hello scriptc
hello, scriptc
These examples use POSIX shell syntax. On Windows, build hello.exe and run it with .\hello.exe.
Use scriptc coverage hello.ts to check which operations compile statically, require dynamic execution, or are unsupported. See coverage reports for details.
Use Node APIs
Supported Node APIs compile to the native runtime. For example, server.ts:
import { createServer } from "node:http";
const server = createServer((req, res) => {
res.setHeader("content-type", "application/json");
res.end(JSON.stringify({ path: req.url }));
});
server.listen(8080, () => {
console.log("listening on http://localhost:8080");
});
$ scriptc build server.ts -o server
$ ./server
listening on http://localhost:8080
Use npm packages
Pass --dynamic to embed an npm package's JavaScript in the executable. The result does not read node_modules at runtime.
Create cli.ts:
import pc from "picocolors";
console.log(pc.green("hello from scriptc"));
$ npm install picocolors
$ scriptc build cli.ts --dynamic -o cli
$ ./cli
hello from scriptc
Enabling --dynamic does not add support for unsupported statically typed calls. See npm dependencies for package resolution and the boundary between static and dynamic code.
Documentation
- Quickstart: installation and your first executable.
- CLI reference: commands, options, and output formats.
- Native program objects: use compiler output in external builds.
- Native FFI: call C ABI functions from compiled programs.
- WebAssembly modules: build and embed WASI modules.
- Examples: programs and integration examples in this repository.
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for source setup, testing, native artifact builds, and docs development.