Systems programming that doesn't get in your way.

You want predictable performance. No GC pauses. Real enums. Error handling that doesn't look like noise.

Zap is a systems language built for developers who know Go or are ready to step into systems programming. ARC memory model, LLVM backend, modern syntax. Write low-level software without low-level frustration.

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If you know what ARC is, you probably also know that when two objects point to each other, ARC will never delete them even though they are not needed. Swift added weak to prevent this, we also added weak in Zap, but it often happens that you simply don't see that there is a cycle somewhere. Zap solves this problem thanks to its Cycle Collector, i.e. it is actually a garbage collector operating on objects causing the cycle, REST OF OBJECTS ARE NOT AFFECTED (cycle collector can be disabled if someone needs it!)

Zap uses failable functions: functions that can fail declare it explicitly in their return type.

enum MathError { DivisionByZero, Overflow }

fun divide(a: Int, b: Int) Int!MathError {
    if b == 0 { fail MathError.DivisionByZero; }
    return a / b;
}

fun main() Int {
    // propagate up with ?
    var x: Int = divide(10, 2)?;

    // fallback value
    var y: Int = divide(10, 0) or 0;

    // handle locally
    var z: Int = divide(10, 0) or err {
        return 1;
    };

    return 0;
}

Zap is in early alpha. Your feedback directly shapes the language.

• open issues
• discuss language design
• implement features
• improve diagnostics
• write documentation