What is Eiffel written in?

Programming language.

Programming language Year 1986 Paradigm object-oriented Typing static Self-hosting yes

The Language Lineage dataset does not currently include compiler or runtime implementation relationships for Eiffel. It may appear in influence relationships with other languages.

Quick Facts

Designed by: Bertrand Meyer
First released: 1986
Typing: static

About Eiffel

Eiffel is a programming language. It is a statically typed and garbage-collected language that compiles ahead of time to native machine code. It supports object-oriented programming.

Eiffel first appeared in 1986 and was designed by Bertrand Meyer at Eiffel Software. Eiffel is now used mainly in specialized niches and by dedicated communities.

How Eiffel is implemented

In the Language Lineage dataset, Eiffel is self-hosting, so its own compiler is written in Eiffel itself. Reaching self-hosting — where a language is mature enough to compile itself — is a milestone that proves the language can handle a large, real-world program.

Eiffel in the language family tree

Eiffel drew on ideas from Simula and Ada and went on to influence C# and Ruby.

Sources: Wikipedia · Wikidata

Relationship Graph

All directly connected languages. Click any node to navigate to its page.

Influenced By

Simula — Eiffel's class model descends from Simula.
Ada — Ada informed Eiffel's emphasis on reliability.

Languages Eiffel Influenced

C# — Design by Contract influenced C# (Code Contracts).
Ruby — Eiffel influenced Ruby's object model and DbC libraries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages influenced Eiffel?

Eiffel was influenced by Simula, Ada among others. See the influence section above for the full list.

Which languages did Eiffel influence?

Eiffel influenced C#, Ruby among others.

Is Eiffel self-hosting?

Yes, Eiffel is self-hosting — its compiler can compile itself.

When was Eiffel first released?

Eiffel was first released in 1986. It was designed by Bertrand Meyer.

Evidence Sources

Discover More

What are programming languages written in? Eiffel in the language family tree Interactive programming language graph Is Eiffel self-hosting? Compiler bootstrapping explained Languages Eiffel influenced: C# Languages Eiffel influenced: Ruby Languages that influenced Eiffel: Simula Languages that influenced Eiffel: Ada

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