What is Racket written in?
Racket is a functional and contractual programming language, with strong, dynamic and reflective typing, derived from Scheme, first released in 1994.
Implementation
| Layer | Written in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Chez Scheme (since 2019) | Racket migrated backend to Chez Scheme in 2019 |
| Compiler | Racket (since 2010) | Racket compiler is self-hosting |
Self-hosting
Racket is a self-hosting language: its compiler is written in Racket itself. Self-hosting means the compiler can compile its own source code, which is a milestone in a language's maturity. New versions of the compiler are built using an older version of the same compiler, a process called bootstrapping.
Self-hosting also acts as a practical stress test: if a language can compile its own compiler, most core language features have been validated in a complex, real-world workload. See what is compiler bootstrapping for a full explanation.
Explore in the Graph
See Racket's full lineage, including all implementation and influence relationships, in the interactive graph.
Open Interactive Graph →Or view the Racket language page for the complete record.