SiliconA systems language built for WebAssembly.

Zig-level control, ML-level ergonomics (sum types, pattern matching, inference), and a gradual memory model that's no-GC when you need speed and garbage-collected (wasm-gc) when you don't — with first-class JavaScript/host interop.

Get started in 15 minutes

Why Silicon?

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Strata 2.0

`@if`, `@loop`, `@match`, `@fn`, `@struct`, `@defer` — every keyword is a stratum in `.si` source. Add `@my_keyword` like writing a function.

WebAssembly + Native

Primary target is WAT/WASM (binaryen + wabt). Via QBE, native binaries on linux-x86_64, linux-aarch64, macos-arm64, macos-x64. Opt-in WasmGC backend.

Arenas + Rc

`with_arena { … }` scopes allocation; `move_to_parent_arena value` escapes tail-position. `Rc` for shared ownership. Heap exhaustion is a clean trap.

HM-lite inference

Declared polymorphism on `@fn[T]` and `@type[T]`. No let-generalisation. Call sites infer `T` automatically. Roc-style trajectory.

Library-first compiler

Compiler-as-a-Service: `parse`, `elaborate`, `typecheck`, `lower` are the public API. The `sgl` CLI is a thin consumer. LSP/tooling is a wrapper.

Honest 0.1

No package registry, no incremental compile — all later work, all called out explicitly in the changelog.

A small example

silicon

@type Shape := $Circle r Int | $Square s Int;

\\ size (Shape) -> Int
@fn size sh := {
    @match(sh,
        $Circle r, { r },
        $Square s, { s })
};

@export size;

Types live on a \\ signature line, not inline; sum-type variants are constructed by calling the generated constructor (Some(x)) and destructured by @match.

sgl run compiles, executes in wasmtime. sgl build --release produces a native binary via the QBE backend.

Install in 60 seconds

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NatesCode/silicon/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
sgl init hello
cd hello
sgl run

Continue with the 15-minute tutorial →