Note

This project is archived. It was an experiment that has run its course.

pyr

A systems programming language with scripting ergonomics, built in Zig.

---

Pyr is a compiled language that targets native code via Zig. It combines the performance of systems languages with the expressiveness of scripting languages. Mark-sweep GC with arena-scoped memory for hot paths, lightweight concurrency, and a type system that stays out of your way until you need it.

High-level code reads like Python. Low-level code reads like Zig. Same language, different depths.

Features

• Lightweight GC - Mark-sweep collector with arena blocks for hot paths. Per-request arenas for servers, std/gc for manual control
• Native performance - Compiles to native code via Zig. SIMD, io_uring, zero-cost C FFI
• Lightweight concurrency - Green threads on a work-stealing thread pool. Typed channels for communication
• Structural typing - If it fits, it works. No interface declarations required
• UFCS - Any function can be called with dot syntax on its first argument. No methods, no impl blocks
• Pattern matching - Algebraic enums with exhaustive matching
• Pipeline operator - Left-to-right data flow with |>
• Error handling - T? optional types, T! result types, or for recovery, ? for propagation, fail for errors
• Helpful compiler errors - Source locations, span highlighting, fix suggestions

Example

imp std/http { serve, get, post }
imp std/pg

fn main() {
  db = pg.connect(env("DATABASE_URL"))

  serve ":8080" {
    get "/users/:id" |req| {
      user = db.find(User, req.params.id) or not_found()
      json(user)
    }

    post "/users" |req| {
      input = req.json(CreateUser) or bad_request("invalid body")
      user = db.insert(User, input)
      json(user, status: 201)
    }
  }
}

imp std/fs
imp std/os { args, exit }

fn parse_config(raw: str) -> Config! {
  if raw.len == 0 { fail "empty input" }
  do_parse(raw)
}

fn main() {
  raw = fs.read("config.toml") or |err| {
    eprintln("can't read config: " + err)
    exit(1)
  }
  config = parse_config(raw)?
  println("loaded: " + config.name)
}

// data processing
fn main() {
  fs.read_lines("access.log")
    |> filter(fn(line) line.contains("ERROR"))
    |> map(parse_log_entry)
    |> group_by(fn(e) e.endpoint)
    |> sort_by(fn(k, v) v.len, descending)
    |> take(10)
    |> each(fn(endpoint, errors) {
      println("{endpoint}: {errors.len} errors")
    })
}

Building from source

Requires Zig 0.15.x.

git clone https://github.com/nvms/pyr
cd pyr
make build

Package management

Pyr uses git-based packages with no hosted registry, similar to Go modules.

pyr init myapp             # create pyr.pkg manifest
pyr add github.com/user/lib v1.0.0   # add a dependency
pyr install                # fetch all dependencies

Packages are imported by name:

imp router { serve, get, post }
imp json
imp logger as log

The manifest format is minimal and purpose-built:

name myapp
version 0.1.0

require (
  github.com/user/router v0.3.1
  github.com/user/json v1.0.0
)

Dependencies are cloned and cached locally in ~/.pyr/cache/. A pyr.lock file records resolved commit hashes for reproducible builds.

Status

Early development. This project is an experiment in AI-maintained open source - autonomously built, tested, and refined by AI with human oversight. Regular audits, thorough test coverage, continuous refinement. The emphasis is on high quality, rigorously tested, production-grade code.

License

MIT