Node.js Native Modules are typically written in C++, but you can write them also in other languages like Rust (1, 2), too. Zig is a new low-level programming language that competes with C, integrating seemlessly with C libraries without FFI or bindings.
This project is an example Hello World for making a Node.js native module in Zig.
The entry point is src/lib.zig.
Test this project like this:
- Git clone it
npm install(will download Node.js header files)npm run build(will compile the Zig project and producedist/lib.node)npm run test(will call thegreet()function from Zig)
Writing C/C++ in 2021 is difficult, confusing, verbose, antiquated. (Disclaimer: I have written many thousands lines of code of C/C++ in my lifetime, I know what I'm talking about) But writing native Node.js modules is a superpower for achieving better performance. I've been hyped about using Rust for Node.js native modules, but my experience in practice has been full of obstacles. Now, I'm giving Zig a try. It can produce small binaries with great performance, it builds for all targets I can imagine (out of the box), and is overall a simple and approachable language built for the year 2021. It certainly feels like a young language, but let's test it out, I guess.
Code here is licensed Unlicense, except for src/translate.zig which was copied from Tigerbeetle-node and is licensed Apache-2.0 by Coil Technologies, Inc.
Overall I don't think I would have been able to figure out this example project alone so quickly, so huge thanks to Coil Technologies, Inc. for making an open source node.js native module written in Zig.