What is Zig written in?
Zig is self-hosting: its compiler is written in Zig itself. It also relies on C++ and LLVM in its toolchain.
Zig is a programming language, first released in 2016.
Implementation
| Layer | Written in | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compiler | C++ (since 2016) | Zig originally written in C++ before self-hosting |
| Compiler | Zig (since 2022) | Zig became self-hosting in 2022, dropped C++ compiler |
| Compiler | LLVM (since 2016) | Early Zig used LLVM, now has own backend option |
Self-hosting
Zig is a self-hosting language: its compiler is written in Zig 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 Zig's full lineage, including all implementation and influence relationships, in the interactive graph.
Open Interactive Graph →Or view the Zig language page for the complete record.