Z systems language

Z is an experimental native systems language with TypeScript-inspired syntax, deterministic cleanup, typed errors, memory-safe ownership, and direct interop with C, Objective-C, and selected C++ and Swift surfaces.

Pre-alpha

Z is a language-design laboratory with a working Stage-0 compiler and a fixed-point native compiler. It is not yet a production toolchain, and source compatibility is not guaranteed.

Readable ownership

Use explicit in, inout, out, move, copy, and view capabilities without spelling lifetimes throughout ordinary application code.

Direct native APIs

Import real C-family headers, preserve native layouts and calls, and add .zd contracts only when a header cannot express the facts Z needs.

Familiar, not JavaScript

Z borrows TypeScript’s approachable surface—not JavaScript’s runtime model. It compiles through readable C-family output to native binaries.

import console from "std/console";

struct Point {
  x: i32;
  y: i32;
}

function main(): i32 {
  const point = Point({ x: 20, y: 22 });
  console.log(`Z says ${point.x + point.y}`);
  return 0;
}

The core pipeline is intentionally conventional:

Z source -> semantic and ownership analysis -> C-family source -> Clang -> native binary

That backend is part of the interop strategy: supported native calls remain direct calls rather than passing through a VM or universal foreign-function runtime.