Cicada
A scripting language that integrates with C
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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.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
HN · launched Jan 30, 2026 · 57 upvotes (top 18%) · 0 views
Niche: programming languages and interpreters · 161 launches, 2 in the last 7 days ▼ -75% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Dev tools
- Developer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 161 launches in programming languages and interpreters →
Could you build this?
No Writing a custom embedded scripting language with a zero-dependency C runtime, custom memory model (aliases), and bidirectional C FFI requires specialized compiler/runtime engineering.
What it would actually take: Building this requires writing a lexical analyzer, parser, abstract syntax tree evaluator or bytecode VM in standard C99, implementing an custom memory management scheme, and developing a clean C API/callback mechanism. It requires deep expertise in programming language theory, memory safety, and low-level C debugging. Vibe coding struggles with memory layout invariants and subtle VM edge cases in pure C.
Discussion
20 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: Lua, AngelScript, Squirrel, Kotlin, Rust (iterators model)
Concerns raised: No multithreading support, Memory leaks with short-lived objects in loops, Runtime checks affecting performance, Potential use-after-free with C callbacks, Project health/maintenance status unclear for alternatives
Feature requests: Iterator methods (map, rev) on ranges like Rust, Proper iterator type with attachable methods, Multithreading with message passing/actor model
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 200 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #46 of 201 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 91 days after the earliest competitor.
- CJIT, a single-binary C compiler that can self host · hn · 2026-04-13 · 7 upvotes · similarity 0.50
- Built a tiny interpreter from scratch in C to understand how they work · hn · 2025-11-12 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.49
- A C/C++ IDE written in C from scratch with zero dependencies · hn · 2026-03-22 · 10 upvotes · similarity 0.46
- Ced · hn · 2026-05-07 · 5 upvotes · similarity 0.45
- C-Continuous-Calculators · github · 2026-09-11 · 9 upvotes · similarity 0.45
- Xcc700: Self-hosting mini C compiler for ESP32 (Xtensa) in 700 lines · hn · 2025-12-26 · 154 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++ · hn · 2026-04-09 · 177 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- CForge · ph · 2026-09-30 · 1 upvotes · similarity 0.44
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