Getting Started

Quick Start: Using Pre-built Binaries

Getting started with Frost is as simple as downloading the latest release for your platform. The pre-built binaries offer the fastest way to begin your journey with Frost programming. Currently available for Linux (x86_64) and macOS (x86_64 and arm64).

Download and Install

1. Navigate to the releases page

2. Download the latest version for your operating system

3. Extract the archive to your preferred location

4. Add the frostc binary to your system's PATH

5. Verify the installation:

frostc -h

Building from Source

For those who prefer to build from source or need the latest development version, follow these steps for a complete development environment setup.

Prerequisites

• Git version control system

• GHC 9.4.8 (Haskell compiler)

• Cabal package manager

• LLVM 19 toolchain

• Make build system

Installing Dependencies

First, ensure you have GHCup installed for managing Haskell tools:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://get-ghcup.haskell.org | sh

Install the required Haskell components:

ghcup install ghc 9.4.8
ghcup install cabal latest
ghcup set ghc 9.4.8

Building Frost

1. Clone the repository with submodules:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/Jabolol/frost
cd frost

1. Build the compiler:

make

The build process will compile all dependencies and create the frostc binary in the repository root.

Verifying Installation

Create a simple Frost program to verify your installation:

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

main: int -> int = argc {
    printf("Hello! This program has %d arguments\n" argc)

    0
}

Save it as hello.ff and use lli to JIT-compile and run the program:

frostc -i hello.ff -o hello.ll | lli

Next Steps

With Frost installed, you're ready to start creating beautiful systems programs. Continue to the next section to learn about Frost's core concepts and begin writing your first real program.

Remember to check out the examples directory in the repository for inspiration and common patterns in Frost programming.