What is KelpyShark?

KelpyShark is a dynamically-typed, interpreted programming language designed to be easy to learn and pleasant to write. Its syntax is clean and expressive — there are no semicolons, no mandatory type annotations, and minimal boilerplate. Whether you are writing your first program or your hundredth, KelpyShark stays out of your way.

Design goals

• Beginner-friendly — clear error messages, simple syntax, no hidden complexity
• Readable — code should read like plain English where possible
• Batteries-included — a standard library covering maths, strings, files, JSON, HTTP, and system access
• Portable — runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS without modification
• Fast to start — a single binary, no runtime to install separately

How it works

KelpyShark code goes through three stages before it runs:

1. Lexer — source text is scanned into a stream of tokens (numbers, strings, keywords, identifiers, operators, …)
2. Parser — the token stream is structured into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)
3. Interpreter — the AST is walked and each node is evaluated directly, producing output

Optionally, the compiler can target native code (via an LLVM backend) or cross-compile to Java or C# source for use in other ecosystems.

Project structure

Crate / Directory	Purpose
compiler/	Lexer, parser, AST, semantic analysis, code generation
interpreter/	Tree-walking interpreter and runtime values
stdlib/	Built-in modules (math, strings, io, json, sys, http)
cli/	Command-line interface (kelpyshark binary)
package_manager/	Package registry, installer, dependency resolver
formatter/	VS Code syntax-highlighting extension

License

KelpyShark is open-source software. See the repository root for license details.