Rux

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FAQ ​

What is Rux? ​

Rux is a fast, compiled, strongly typed, multi-paradigm, general-purpose programming language designed for clarity, safety, and performance. It compiles to native machine code and targets systems programming use cases.

What is the current status of Rux? ​

Rux is in early development. The latest release is v0.2.0, which added control flow, slices, tuples, enums, interfaces, modules, and packages. The language is under active development and new features are added with each release.

What platforms does Rux support? ​

Currently Rux targets Windows x86-64. The compiler produces native .exe binaries linked against the Windows x64 ABI. Support for additional platforms is planned for future releases.

How do I install Rux? ​

On Windows, the easiest way is via Scoop:

sh
scoop bucket add rux-lang https://github.com/rux-lang/Scoop
scoop install rux

Full instructions: Installation on Windows.

What language is Rux written in? ​

The Rux compiler is written in C++.

Does Rux use LLVM? ​

No. Rux has its own frontend (lexer, parser, semantic analysis) and backend (HIR, LIR, x86-64 assembler, linker). It does not depend on LLVM or any external compiler infrastructure.

What is the entry point of a Rux program? ​

Every executable package must define a Main function with no parameters that returns an integer:

rux
func Main() -> int {
    return 0;
}

What is the difference between let and var? ​

let declares an immutable binding — it cannot be reassigned after initialization. var declares a mutable variable that can be reassigned:

rux
let x = 10;   // immutable
var y = 10;   // mutable
y = 20;       // OK

Does Rux have a garbage collector? ​

No. Rux compiles to native machine code with no hidden runtime overhead. Memory management is explicit, similar to C and C++.

Does Rux have exceptions? ​

No. Rux uses explicit error handling through return-type encoding with a Result type. Errors are values that must be handled at the call site — the compiler does not unwind the stack automatically.

Can I call C/C++ functions from Rux? ​

Yes. The extern keyword declares functions defined outside Rux, typically in C libraries or the Windows API:

rux
extern func malloc(size: uint) -> *opaque;
extern func free(ptr: *opaque);

See Foreign Function Interface for the full syntax.

Is there a standard library? ​

The official standard library is under development at github.com/rux-lang/Std. Windows API bindings are being developed separately at github.com/rux-lang/Windows.

Does Rux have a package manager? ​

Yes, it is built into the rux CLI. Use rux add to add a dependency to your project and rux install to download it. Packages are resolved from the official registry at github.com/rux-lang/Registry.

Which editors are supported? ​

  • Visual Studio Code — via the Rux Language extension (recommended)
  • Sublime Text — via the Rux package on Package Control

Both extensions provide syntax highlighting for .rux source files.

What object file format does the Rux compiler produce? ​

The compiler emits .rcu files — Rux Compiled Units. This is a custom binary object file format specific to Rux, designed to be simple and fast to parse. The Rux linker collects .rcu files and links them into a Windows PE executable. See Rux Compiled Unit for the full specification.

Under which license is Rux published? ​

Rux is licensed under the MIT License.