Programming language · 2007

Clojure

Dialect of the Lisp programming language.

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Clojure logo
JavaWritten in
2007First released
Richard HickeyDeveloper
dynamicTyping
Eclipse Public LicenseLicense
Built from Clojure JavaLispSchemeCommon Lisp
CompilerInfluence

What is Clojure written in?

The Clojure compiler is written in Java (well-documented).

What Clojure is used for

Clojure is a modern Lisp on the JVM, used for data-heavy back-end systems where immutability and functional style help manage complexity and concurrency.

Notable software: data platforms and back-ends at Nubank, Walmart, and many fintech companies.

Quick Facts

Developer
Richard Hickey
First released
2007
Typing
dynamic
License
Eclipse Public License
Filename extension
.clj, .cljs, .cljc, .edn, .cljr
Website
clojure.org

About Clojure

Clojure is a dialect of the Lisp programming language. It is a dynamically typed and garbage-collected language that compiles to bytecode that runs on a virtual machine. It supports functional and multi-paradigm programming. Compiling to bytecode for a virtual machine is the same model the JVM and .NET use: the VM, not the CPU, interprets or JIT-compiles the bytecode.

Clojure first appeared in 2007. Development is led by Richard Hickey. Clojure keeps a steady, moderate following today.

How Clojure is implemented

In the Language Lineage dataset, its compiler is written in Java.

Clojure in the language family tree

Clojure drew on ideas from Scheme, Lisp, and Common Lisp.

Sources: Wikipedia · Wikidata · Official site

Frequently Asked Questions

What language is Clojure written in?
Clojure is primarily implemented in Java. See the implementation section above for details and source references.
What languages influenced Clojure?
Clojure was influenced by Scheme, Lisp, Common Lisp among others. See the influence section above for the full list.
When was Clojure first released?
Clojure was first released in 2007.

Evidence Sources

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<iframe src="https://www.languagelineage.org/embed?lang=clojure" width="100%" height="500" loading="lazy" style="border:0" title="Clojure relationship graph"></iframe>

Please attribute the visualization to Language Lineage and link to the Clojure source record.

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