Kyna

Kyna

Tags: Kyna · ProgrammingLanguage · Coding · Compiler · OpenSource · BuildInPublic · Developer

A small, strongly typed programming language with a real compiler and a practical CLI.

npm · Releases · Documentation · Language specification · VS Code

Install

Install the current preview from the official npm organization:

1npm install --global @kyna-language/cli@preview
2ky --version

Other installation paths:

Bun, curl, and Windows PowerShell

1# Bun must be allowed to run the verified native-install step.
2bun add --global --trust @kyna-language/cli@preview
3 
4# macOS or Linux without a package manager.
5curl -fsSL https://github.com/Up-to-code/Kyna/releases/download/v1.0.0-preview.3/install.sh | sh -s -- --channel preview --version 1.0.0-preview.3

1# Windows PowerShell without a package manager.
2& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm 'https://github.com/Up-to-code/Kyna/releases/download/v1.0.0-preview.3/install.ps1'))) -Channel preview -Version 1.0.0-preview.3

The Bun package path currently requires Node.js 18+ for the command shim. The direct installers do not require Node.js.

Each installer supports macOS and Linux on x64/ARM64, and Windows on x64. It downloads the matching native release, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, and provides both ky and kyna commands.

Create and run a project:

1ky new hello --template minimal
2cd hello
3ky run

Kyna is preview software. Read the implementation status and roadmap before using it in production.

The language

1fn greet(name: str): str {
2    return "Hello, " + name;
3}
4 
5var visits: int = 1;
6visits = visits + 1;
7 
8const audience = if (visits > 1) {
9    "returning visitor"
10} else {
11    "new visitor"
12};
13 
14console.log(greet("Kyna"), audience);

Kyna includes:

• inferred or explicit static types, with nullable types written as T?;
• mutable var and immutable const bindings;
• arrays, objects, functions, closures, classes, and structural interfaces;
• modules with explicit exports;
• exhaustive match, switch, and typed error handling;
• HIR, MIR, bytecode, and tree-walk execution paths.

Runnable examples live in examples/language/. For the complete syntax and behavior, read the language specification.

CLI

ky hello.kyna is shorthand for ky run hello.kyna.

Architecture

1source
2  → lexer
3  → parser / syntax tree
4  → type checker
5  → HIR
6  → MIR
7  → bytecode
8  → virtual machine

The repository keeps compiler stages, runtime components, standard libraries, the embedding SDK, and developer tools in separate modules:

1compiler/   lexing, parsing, types, checking, HIR, MIR, bytecode
2runtime/    virtual machine, interpreter, and host capabilities
3library/    core and standard-library modules
4sdk/        embedding API
5tools/      CLI and benchmarks
6tests/      unit, integration, and architecture verification
7docs/       specifications, research, and design records

Read the architecture guide, source-layout rules, and compiler research for the complete design.

Build from source

Requirements: CMake 3.25+, Python 3.10+, a C++23 compiler, and libcurl.

1git clone https://github.com/Up-to-code/Kyna.git
2cd Kyna
3cmake --preset debug
4cmake --build --preset debug
5ctest --preset debug

See CONTRIBUTING.md before changing the compiler or adding a language feature.

Documentation

• Language specification
• Type system
• Compiler architecture
• Runtime
• Standard library
• Installation and releases
• Security

Created and maintained by Ahmed Mansour with help from open-source contributors and coding agents.

Kyna is available under the MIT License.