Show HN: Cicada – A scripting language that integrates with C
by briancr on 1/30/2026, 12:07:26 PM
I wrote a lightweight scripting language that runs together with C. Specifically, it's a C library, you run it through a C function call, and it can callback your own C functions. Compiles to ~250 kB. No dependencies beyond the C standard library.<p>Key language features: * Uses aliases not pointers, so it's memory-safe * Arrays are N-dimensional and resizable * Runs scripts or its own 'shell' * Error trapping * Methods, inheritance, etc. * Customizable syntax
https://github.com/heltilda/cicada
Comments
by: briancr
Thanks for the references! Writing a language was almost an accident — I worked on a neural networks tool with a scripted interface back around 2000, before I’d ever heard of some of these other languages.. and I’ve been using/updating it ever since.<p>Beyond NNs, my use case to embed fast C calculations into the language to make scientific programming easier. But the inspiration was less about the use case and more about certain programming innovations which I’m sure are elsewhere but I’m not sure where — like aliases, callable function arguments, generalized inheritance, etc.<p>That’s a great list — most of those languages I’ve honestly never heard of..
1/30/2026, 2:50:44 PM
by: smartmic
Cool, I like these kinds of projects. When it comes to embedding a scripting language in C, there are already some excellent options: Notable ones are Janet, Guile, and Lua. Tcl is also worth considering. My personal favorite is still Janet[0]. Others?<p>[0]: <a href="https://janet-lang.org/" rel="nofollow">https://janet-lang.org/</a>
1/30/2026, 1:32:43 PM
by: eps
What's the use case? Clearly, you made it with some specific use in mind, at least initially. What was it?
1/30/2026, 2:30:52 PM