Get Started

From zero to compiled ARIA-IR in under ten minutes.

Prerequisites

Java 11+ the JVM runtime

Clojure CLI install guide

Git for cloning the repo

gcc for the C backend (compile + run)

wat2wasm + wasmtime for the WASM backend (optional)

Install

Run directly with the Clojure CLI. No build step required.

git clone https://github.com/jhavera/aria-clj.git
cd aria-clj

# Type-check an ARIA-IR file
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --check

# Emit C to stdout
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --emit-c

# Full pipeline: parse, check, compile, execute
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --run

# Verify intent annotations against observed behavior
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --verify

Requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Compiles each function with test inputs, runs it, and asks the Claude API whether the output matches the declared intent.

Download a prebuilt JAR. Requires Java 11+ but not the Clojure CLI.

# Download the latest release
curl -LO https://github.com/jhavera/aria-clj/releases/latest/download/aria-clj.jar

# Type-check an ARIA-IR file
java -jar aria-clj.jar examples/fibonacci.aria --check

# Emit C to stdout
java -jar aria-clj.jar examples/fibonacci.aria --emit-c

# Full pipeline: parse, check, compile, execute
java -jar aria-clj.jar examples/fibonacci.aria --run

Or build the uberjar yourself: clj -T:build uber

Compile ARIA-IR to WebAssembly Text format and run on any WASI runtime. Requires wat2wasm (from wabt) and wasmtime.

# Emit WAT to stdout
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --emit-wat

# Compile to WASM and execute via wasmtime
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --backend wasm --run

# Shorthand: use the :wasm alias
clj -M:wasm examples/fibonacci.aria --run

# Write optimized WASM binary
clj -M:run examples/fibonacci.aria --backend wasm --optimize -o fib.wasm

Hello World

Create a file called hello.aria:

(module "hello"

  (func $main
    (result i32)
    (effects io)
    (intent "Print hello world")
    (print "Hello, world!\n")
    (return 0))

  (export $main))

Compile and run with the Clojure CLI:

$ clj -M:run hello.aria --run
Hello, world!

Or, if you have the downloaded JAR and only need Java:

$ java -jar aria-clj.jar hello.aria --run
Hello, world!

ariac: Self-Hosted Compiler

ariac is the reference ARIA-IR compiler, written in ARIA-IR itself across 6 modules (~5220 LOC). It supports multi-module programs, compile-time memory safety, and mandatory intent annotations. The Clojure implementation serves as the initial bootstrap only.

Two-stage build:

# Stage 1: build ariac-bootstrap from the Clojure compiler
clojure -M:run aria-src/ariac-bootstrap.aria --emit-c -o /tmp/bootstrap.c
gcc -std=c99 -fwrapv -o ariac-bootstrap /tmp/bootstrap.c -lm

# Stage 2: build ariac from ariac-bootstrap
./ariac-bootstrap aria-src/ariac/main.aria --emit-c -o /tmp/ariac.c
gcc -std=c99 -fwrapv -o ariac /tmp/ariac.c -lm

Use ariac to compile any ARIA program:

# Single-module program
./ariac examples/fibonacci.aria --run

# Multi-module program
./ariac examples/import_demo/main.aria --run

# Verify bootstrap: ariac compiles itself
./ariac aria-src/ariac/main.aria -o ariac2
./ariac2 examples/fibonacci.aria --run

Troubleshooting

gcc not found

The --run and --emit-c flags require gcc. On macOS, install Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install. On Linux: apt install gcc or equivalent.

Clojure CLI not found

Follow the official install guide. On macOS: brew install clojure/tools/clojure.

Something else?

Open an issue on GitHub or ask in Discussions.