What is Langoost?

Langoost is a statically-typed scripting language that compiles to bytecode and runs on a fast, stack-based virtual machine. It is designed for backend scripting — similar in spirit to PHP, but without the per-request cold-start cost. A single long-running process handles every request, and each request executes in its own isolated VM with a private stack.

Source files use the .goost extension.

let name: string = "world"
print("Hello, " + name + "!")

$ langoost run hello.goost
Hello, world!

Why Langoost

• No cold start. The process stays warm. Compiled modules are cached, so imports after the first are a map lookup — not a recompile.
• Familiar, optional typing. Python-like simplicity with TypeScript-style type annotations (let x: int = 1). Annotations are documentation today and enforced incrementally.
• Batteries included. A large standard library ships in the box: strings, math, json, yaml, xml, http, net, crypto, io, exec, collections, thread, and more.
• Safe concurrency by construction. Each HTTP request runs in its own VM with a private stack and output buffer. Scripts from different requests never share mutable state.
• Inspectable. Compile to bytecode and disassemble it with one command to see exactly what runs.

How it runs

Langoost is a bytecode-compiled interpreter. Each script flows through a small, predictable pipeline:

Source  →  Lexer  →  Parser  →  Compiler  →  Bytecode  →  VM  →  Result

See architecture for the bytecode format, stack model, and module cache.

Where to go next

• Install & run — build from source and run your first script.
• Language tour — the syntax in a few minutes.
• Standard library — what’s available out of the box.
• HTTP server — serve requests with a handler function.
• Examples — complete, runnable programs.