scriptc

scriptc compiles TypeScript and JavaScript to native executables and WebAssembly. It uses the types the TypeScript compiler checks to generate optimized machine code, so a program you run with Node.js today can ship as a single binary that runs without Node.js installed. npm packages your program imports compile along with it, and anything scriptc can't compile is reported at build time with a diagnostic and usually a rewrite hint.

scriptc is experimental and supports a subset of JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js APIs. Run scriptc coverage on an existing program to see how much of it compiles, and see the limitations and Node.js compatibility reference for details.

Installation

Install with Node.js 24 or later and npm:

$ npm install -g scriptc

The installed compiler runs natively on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Node.js is needed only to install it and to run WASI modules with scriptc run. Standalone compiler archives are also available from GitHub Releases.

Building executables requires a linker and the platform SDK or 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 >/dev/null
$ ./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 what compiles before you build. 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 >/dev/null
$ ./server
listening on http://localhost:8080

Use npm packages

npm packages compile into the executable with your code, so it doesn't 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 -o cli >/dev/null
$ ./cli
hello from scriptc

Package support is partial. See npm dependencies for which packages compile and how to check them.

Documentation

• Introduction: what scriptc is and what you can build.
• Quickstart: installation and your first executable.
• Coverage reports: check whether an existing program compiles.
• Platform support: cross-compilation and WebAssembly.
• 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.