Basic Concepts

Compilation Pipeline

Frost's compilation process is flexible and leverages LLVM's powerful infrastructure:

Compilation Options

# Generate LLVM IR
frostc -i source.ff -o output.ll

# JIT compilation and immediate execution
frostc -i source.ff | lli

# Generate native object files
frostc -i source.ff | llc -filetype=obj -o output.o

# Direct compilation to executable
frostc -i source.ff | clang -x ir - -o output

Optimization Levels

Frost's backend is LLVM, which means we inherit the use of the opt tool for optimization:

# Apply optimization passes
frostc -i source.ff | opt -O3 -S | lli

# Apply custom optimization pipeline, e.g., mem2reg
frostc -i source.ff | opt -passes=mem2reg -S | lli

Language Fundamentals

All Frost programs must have one main function, which is the entry point. It takes optionally 3 parameters: argc, argv, and envp:

main: int **byte **byte -> int = argc argv envp {
    % Program logic

    0
}

The main function can return an integer value, which is the exit code of the program. The argc parameter is the number of arguments passed to the program, argv is an array of strings containing the arguments, and envp is an array of strings containing the environment variables.

Module System

Frost uses a clean import syntax with explicit paths, allowing for both relative and HTTP imports:

import "./modules/utils.ff" % Relative import

import "https://frost-lang.deno.dev/std/io.ff" % HTTP import

If the remote server needs authentication, credentials are accepted as an environment variable when running the compiler. This will be set as the Authorization header in the request, with a Bearer token:

FROST_PRIVATE_REGISTRY_AUTH="ey..." frostc -i source.ff

Frost supports up to 25 levels of nested imports. This limit is arbitrary and can be increased if needed. The compiler supports both kinds of imports, and they can be mixed in the same file.

Standard Library

Frost has a somewhat limited Standard Library, but it provides essential modules:

  • inet.ff: Network operations

  • io.ff: Input/output operations

  • lib.ff: Core utilities

  • math.ff: Mathematical functions

  • socket.ff: Socket operations

  • string.ff: String manipulation

  • uni.ff: POSIX system calls

  • opengl.ff: OpenGL bindings

  • sdl2.ff: SDL2 bindings

Standard C libraries are linked by default when using llc/clang/lli or equivalent. In order to use OpenGL andSDL2 bindings, the corresponding libraries must be installed on the system.

For example, to compile a program using SDL2, you need to link the library with clang or similar:

frostc -i source.ff | clang -lSDL2 -x ir - -o output

All of these are available at https://frost-lang.deno.dev/std/.

We also host all examples under the root route of the server. You can access them at https://frost-lang.deno.dev/.

For example, if you want to render a 3d ASCII donut, you can import the donut.ff example and run it out of the box:

import "https://frost-lang.deno.dev/donut.ff"

And then JIT-compile and run it:

frostc -i donut.ff | lli

Variables and Types

Variables in Frost are statically typed. They support implicit conversion out of the box. They can be either local or global. The syntax is the same for both, globals are declared outside of functions:

amount: int = 2
pi: double = 3,14159

double_pi: double = pi * amount % Implicit conversion

Frost also supports pointers and references:

ptr: *int = amount.& % Reference

% Assignment
ptr.* = 3

And arrays and structs:

% Array declaration
my_array: [8]int = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8]
first_elem: int = my_array.#0 % 1

index: int = 2
third_elem: int = my_array.#index % 3

% Struct declaration
hobby :: struct {
    name -> *byte
    hours -> int
}

person :: struct {
    name -> *byte
    age -> int
    passion -> hobby
}

% Struct initialization
me: person

me.name = "Javi"
me.age = 20
me.passion.name = "American Football"
me.passion.hours = 1000

printf(">> %s is %d years old and loves %s\n" me.name me.age me.passion.name)

Control Flow

Frost supports control flow constructs like loops and conditionals.

Loops

Frost supports loops and iteration with ranges:

% Basic loop
loop not false {
    printf(">> Frost is awesome!\n")
}

INIT_VAL: int = 0
STEP_SIZE: int = 2
MAX_ITERS: int = 100

% Iteration with range
from INIT_VAL to MAX_ITERS by STEP_SIZE [i: int] {
    printf(">> Iteration %d\n" i)
}

Conditionals

Frost supports basic conditional statements. Else branches are optional:

% Basic conditional

condition: bool = 10 mod 2 is 0

if condition {
    % True branch
    printf(">> Condition is true\n")
} else {
    % False branch
    printf(">> Condition is false\n")
}

Memory Management

Frost provides safe memory management with explicit allocation. The defer keyword is used to ensure cleanup, and will place the cleanup code at the end of the current scope. It can also be a block:

import "https://frost-lang.deno.dev/std/lib.ff"

% Allocation with automatic cleanup
buffer: *byte = malloc(size)
defer {
    free(buffer)
    printf(">> Memory freed\n")
}

% Pointer operations
ptr: *byte = buffer + offset   % Pointer arithmetic
buffer.* = value        % Dereferencing

% Deferred blocks will run at the end of the scope

Functions

Functions in Frost can take multiple parameters and return a single value.

import "https://frost-lang.deno.dev/std/io.ff"

fibonacci: int -> int = n {
    if n < 2 {
        ret n
    }

    fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2)
}

main: int -> int = argc {
    printf(">> Fibonacci of 10 is %d\n" fibonacci(10))

    0
}

Frost also supports a special kind of function: foreign functions. These are functions that are implemented in another language and are linked at runtime:

printf: foreign *byte *... -> int

For instance, this printf function is implemented in C and linked at runtime. It takes a format string and a variable number of arguments, denoted by ....

Type System

Basic Types

  • int: Integer numbers

  • double: Floating-point numbers

  • byte: 8-bit values

  • bool: Boolean values

  • never: No value, known as void in other languages

Custom Types

Users are able to use user-defined types out of the box, such as custom width integers and structs:

small: int8 = 111 % This is equivalent to `byte`
huge: int128 = 123456789012345678901234567890

packet :: struct {
    size -> int
    data -> *byte
}

Type Casting

Frost supports explicit type casting with the @type(expr) syntax. This is useful for converting between different types:

pi: double = 3,14159
rounded: int = @int(pi)

This also works with pointers and references:

raw: *byte = malloc(8)
defer free(raw)

if not raw {
    ret 1
}

buffer: *double = @*double(raw)

% Dereference and assign
buffer.* = 3,14159

Operations

Frost support both unary and binary operations, including arithmetic, bitwise, logical, and comparison operations. These are just a few examples:

% Arithmetic
sum: int = 1 + 2
diff: int = 3 - 4

% Bitwise
and: int = 0b1010 & 0b1100
or: int = 0b1010 | 0b1100

% Logical
cond: bool = true and false
neg: bool = not true

% Comparison
eq: bool = 1 is 1
neq: bool = not (1 is 2)

Preprocessor Directives

Another powerful feature of Frost is the preprocessor. It allows for conditional compilation, macro definitions, and file inclusion.

For instance, you can define a macro for a specific platform in a module:

sockaddr_in :: struct {
?defined(__APPLE__)
    sin_len -> byte
    sin_family -> byte
?else
    sin_family -> int16
?end
    sin_port -> int16
    sin_addr -> in_addr
    sin_zero -> *int8
}

Frost supports macros that are available in the current user's environment. This means that you can define a macro in the command line and use it in your code.

For example, to enable the __APPLE__ macro, you can compile the code with:

__APPLE__=1 frostc -i source.ff -o output.ll

This will enable the __APPLE__ macro in the code, and the compiler will evaluate the conditionals accordingly, using the correct struct definition.

import "custom/socket.ff"

main: never -> int = {
    sockaddr: sockaddr_in

    sockaddr.len = @byte(16)
    sockaddr.sin_family = @byte(2)
    % ...
}

Best Practices

  • Use meaningful variable names

  • Avoid magic numbers

  • Always handle memory cleanup with defer

  • Structure code with clear module organization

  • Use comments for complex algorithms

Remember, Frost encourages writing clean, readable code that maintains both beauty and performance. The syntax is designed to be intuitive while providing low-level control when needed.

PreviousGetting StartedNextSyntax

Last updated