V — Fast Compiled Language with the Simplicity of Go and Power of C

Introduction

V is a statically typed compiled programming language designed for building maintainable software. It compiles to native code via a C backend and can compile itself in under one second with zero external dependencies. V aims to combine the best ideas from Go's simplicity with performance close to C.

What V Does

• Compiles to optimized native code through a C intermediate step
• Provides autofree memory management without a garbage collector
• Supports automatic C-to-V source code translation
• Offers built-in concurrency with coroutines and channels
• Includes a cross-platform UI library and package manager

Architecture Overview

V's compiler is written in V itself and translates V source files to C, which is then compiled by any standard C compiler. The autofree engine tracks allocations and inserts deallocation calls at compile time. The standard library is self-contained with no OS-level dependencies beyond libc, enabling reproducible builds.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Clone and bootstrap from GitHub with make (Linux/macOS) or make.bat (Windows)
• Install packages via v install <package> from the VPM registry
• Configure build flags in v.mod per project
• Cross-compile to other OS targets with v -os windows .
• Use v fmt for automatic code formatting

Key Features

• Sub-second full-project compilation speed
• No null, no undefined behavior, no global state by default
• Hot code reloading for rapid iteration
• Built-in testing framework via v test
• Generics, interfaces, and sum types without complexity overhead

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Go — V has a similar syntax but adds generics natively and avoids a GC by default
• Rust — Rust offers stronger safety guarantees via the borrow checker but has a steeper learning curve
• Zig — Zig targets lower-level systems work while V aims for higher-level productivity
• D — D is more feature-rich but V prioritizes minimalism and fast compile times
• Nim — Nim also compiles via C but uses a GC; V's autofree avoids that

FAQ

Q: Does V require a garbage collector? A: No. V uses an autofree system that inserts deallocations at compile time. An optional GC is available if needed.

Q: Can I use C libraries from V? A: Yes. V supports direct C interop, and the v translate tool can convert C headers to V bindings.

Q: Is V production-ready? A: V is under active development. It is usable for personal projects and CLI tools, though some features are still stabilizing.

Q: What platforms does V support? A: V runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, and can cross-compile to Android and WebAssembly.

Sources

• https://github.com/vlang/v
• https://vlang.io/docs