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C, unbound.

madc — a self-contained C compiler and JIT runtime. Write C. Run it like a script. Ship it as a native executable. Embed it as a library.

No Makefile. No toolchain ceremony. One command.

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How you use it

	Script it	Ship it	Embed it
	madc program.mad	madc -o program program.mad	#include <libmadc/api.h>
	JIT-compiles directly to x86-64 machine code. No bytecode, no interpreter. Caches OBJ files — first run is fast, repeat runs are blazing.	Generates native Linux ELF executables. Real binaries, real performance.	libmadc brings madc scripting and 100+ multi-language functions into your own C/C++ programs.
	Getting Started →	Native Executables →	Embedding Guide →

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Why madc?

Zero ceremony — No Makefile, no include paths to configure, no separate compile step. madc file.mad and you're running.

Real C, plus more — Familiar C syntax with C++ extras: cout, string, classes, STL containers, lambdas, defer, := type inference. 40+ embedded standard headers included.

Multi-language namespaces — The best functions from PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and Rust — all available in one program via php::explode(), perl::grep(), python::title(), ruby::squeeze(), js::btoa(), rust::trim().

Not a toy — ~80% GCC torture test parity and climbing. Compiles real C codebases end-to-end.

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See it in action

Your C code just works:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    printf("hello, world\n");
    return 0;
}

$ madc hello.mad
hello, world

Now mix in the best of other languages:

#include <iostream>

int main()
{
    // PHP-style string splitting and joining
    string csv = "alice,bob,charlie";
    string delim = ",";
    array names;
    php::explode(names, delim, csv);
    php::sort(names);
    string sorted;
    php::implode(sorted, delim, names);
    cout << sorted << endl;

    // Python-style string formatting
    string title = "hello world";
    python::title(title);
    cout << title << endl;

    // Perl-style regex grep
    array matches;
    string pat = "^a";
    perl::grep(matches, pat, names);

    // Ruby-style string transforms
    string s = "aabbccdd";
    ruby::squeeze(s);
    cout << s << endl;

    // JavaScript base64
    string encoded;
    js::btoa(encoded, s);
    cout << encoded << endl;

    return 0;
}

No imports to install. No package manager. It's all built in.

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Features

• JIT compilation to x86-64 via asmjit — runs at native speed
• Native EXE generation — produce standalone Linux ELF binaries
• OBJ caching — compiled objects are cached; repeat runs skip recompilation
• 40+ embedded headers — <stdio.h>, <stdlib.h>, <math.h>, <string.h>, <unistd.h>, and more
• C++ support — cout/cin/cerr, string, stringstream, vector<T>, map<K,V>, set<T>, classes with methods
• Modern features — lambdas, defer, multiple return values, := inference, range-based for, function pointers
• 100+ namespace functions across 6 language namespaces (php, perl, python, ruby, js, rust)
• C23 early coverage — _Bool, 0b binary literals, static_assert, typeof, nullptr, digit separators
• Preprocessor — #define, #ifdef, #include, #pragma, plus #load "libfoo.so" for dynamic libraries
• Embeddable — libmadc C++ API with C shims for hosting madc in your own applications
• Self-contained — no external dependencies at runtime beyond libc

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Explore the wiki

Getting Started

• Installation — build from source, dependencies, verifying your setup
• Your First Program — from hello world to something real
• Multi-file Projects — #include conventions, project structure

Language Guide

• Data Types — integers, floats, strings, arrays, containers
• Control Flow — if/else, for, while, switch, rust::match
• Functions — declarations, multiple returns, function pointers, lambdas
• Structs & Classes — user-defined types, methods, member access
• Strings & I/O — string operations, cout/cin, file streams
• Pointers & Arrays — C-style pointers, fixed arrays, subscripts
• Modern Features — defer, range-for, :=, auto, ternary

Namespaces

Overview & prefer — how multi-language namespaces work

Namespace	Functions	Focus
php::	36	String manipulation, array operations
perl::	21	chop/chomp, regex grep, split/join
python::	16	Title case, alignment, format
ruby::	12	squeeze, tr, chars, rotate
js::	6	Base64, URL encoding, JSON
rust::	18	trim, contains, replace, split/join

Advanced Topics

• Preprocessor — #define, #ifdef, #include, #load, #pragma
• Embedded Headers — built-in standard and POSIX headers
• C23 Features — early C23 standard coverage
• Regex — match, search, replace
• GCC Compatibility — torture test parity, what works, what's next

Reference

• CLI Reference — command-line flags and usage
• Namespace Function Reference — consolidated function lookup
• Native Executables — ELF generation, AOT compilation
• Embedding Guide — libmadc API, hosting madc in your programs

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Current release: v0.17.0 · GitHub · Changelog · Report an Issue · License: MPL 2.0