Avenir

Avenir is a statically‑typed programming language with an explicit, readable syntax and a compact VM runtime. It is designed for building reliable software with clear type boundaries and a pragmatic standard library.

Why Avenir

• Explicit types: no hidden inference; types are always visible.
• Practical standard library: filesystem, networking, JSON, HTTP, time.
• Simple runtime model: bytecode VM with clear semantics.
• Error handling: try / catch with a single error type.

Status

Alpha. The language is usable for experimentation, but the surface area is still evolving and some features are not yet implemented (see roadmap).

Example

pckg main;

import std.time;

fun main() | void {
    var now | time.DateTime = time.now();
    print(now.format("YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"));
}

Build

Requirements:

• Go 1.22+

Build the compiler/VM:

go build -o avenir ./cmd/avenir

Run

./avenir run ./examples/hello.av

Tests

go test ./...

Repository Layout

• cmd/avenir — CLI entrypoint
• internal/lexer — lexer
• internal/parser — parser
• internal/ast — AST
• internal/types — type checker
• internal/ir — bytecode compiler
• internal/vm — VM runtime
• internal/runtime — builtins and host services
• std/ — standard library (Avenir code)
• docs/ — language and engine documentation
• examples/ — example programs

Roadmap (Short)

• Native code backend (currently VM only)
• Generics for user‑defined types
• Optional chaining and pattern matching
• Expanded stdlib utilities

License

MIT — see LICENSE.