Programming language · 2008

Nim

Programming language.

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Nim logo
NimWritten in
2008First released
Andreas RumpfDeveloper
staticTyping
MIT LicenseLicense
Built fromInfluenced Nim NimPythonPascalAdaCJavaScript
CompilerInfluenceTranspile

What is Nim written in?

The Nim compiler is written in Nim (well-documented). Nim is self-hosting.

What Nim is used for

Nim is a general-purpose language with Python-like readability that compiles to C, C++, or JavaScript, giving native speed with a small runtime, handy for systems tools, games, and embedded work.

Notable software: the Status messaging client and a range of community tools and games.

Quick Facts

Designed by
Andreas Rumpf
First released
2008
Typing
static
License
MIT License
Filename extension
.nim, .nims
Website
nim-lang.org

About Nim

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

Nim first appeared in 2008 and was designed by Andreas Rumpf. Nim is now used mainly in specialized niches and by dedicated communities.

How Nim is implemented

In the Language Lineage dataset, Nim is self-hosting, so its own compiler is written in Nim 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.

Nim in the language family tree

Nim drew on ideas from Python, Pascal, and Ada.

Sources: Wikipedia · Wikidata · Official site

Frequently Asked Questions

What language is Nim written in?
Nim is primarily implemented in Nim. See the implementation section above for details and source references.
What languages influenced Nim?
Nim was influenced by Python, Pascal, Ada among others. See the influence section above for the full list.
Is Nim self-hosting?
Yes, Nim is self-hosting, its compiler can compile itself.
When was Nim first released?
Nim was first released in 2008. It was designed by Andreas Rumpf.

Evidence Sources

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

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

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