What is AWK written in?
The AWK runtime is written in C.
AWK is a data-driven programming language made by Alfred Aho, Peter Weinberger and Brian Kernighan, first released in 1977.
Implementation
| Layer | Written in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | C (since 1977) | AWK runtime (gawk, nawk, mawk) written in C |
Runtime model
The AWK runtime, written in C, manages the execution of AWK programs. Runtime-based languages rely on a host process to interpret or compile code at runtime rather than compiling entirely ahead-of-time to native machine code. This means running AWK programs requires the runtime to be present on the target system.
The choice of C for the runtime gives AWK access to native performance, established platform abstractions, and existing ecosystem libraries.
Explore in the Graph
See AWK's full lineage, including all implementation and influence relationships, in the interactive graph.
Open Interactive Graph →Or view the AWK language page for the complete record.