a systems language built on first principles. no hidden magic. period.
Razen is a general-purpose systems programming language that prioritizes explicitness, safety, and predictable performance. It compiles via LLVM to native machine code with zero hidden runtime costs.
Inspired by Rust's safety, Zig's control, and Go's simplicity — Razen synthesizes what works without the baggage. No borrow checker. No garbage collector. No exceptions. No null pointers. No hidden allocations.
The lexer, parser, and semantic analyzer are complete. LLVM codegen is in progress. The language is experimental and evolving — now is the perfect time to contribute ideas, feedback, and code.
Razen is developed in the open under the MIT license. All design decisions are documented and debated publicly.
Zero hidden magic: Every allocation, every cast, every control flow path is visible in the source code. What you write is what the machine does.
Predictable performance: No GC pauses, no JIT warmup, no hidden reference counting. The cost model is visible in the type signatures.
Ergonomic safety: Safety through exhaustive checking (match, error unions, optionals) rather than complex type system gymnastics.
Razen is an open-source community effort. Whether you're interested in compiler development, standard library design, documentation, or just trying it out — there's a place for you.