Overview

Vela is a from-scratch, general-purpose language with a data-science-first orientation. The source repo describes two layers:

• Stage-0: a dynamically evaluated seed interpreter that runs real programs today.
• Self-hosting/Design: planned and partially designed compiler/runtime features that are not all in the seed yet.

Status: pre-release. A Stage-0 interpreter is working today. The language, standard library, and tooling are evolving quickly and may change.

What works today

• Records, enums, and pattern matching (including guards)
• Maps, multi-argument lambdas, and higher-order functions
• Option / Result with the ? operator for error handling
• A self-hosting compiler component written in Vela itself

Docs in this section

• Quickstart — first run commands and sample programs.
• Language Tour — end-to-end walkthrough from basics.
• Syntax & Types — expressions, operators, bindings, and value model.
• Functions & Lambdas — declarations, closures, higher-order use.
• Pattern Matching — variants, guards, and arm order.
• Error Handling — Option, Result, and ?.
• Records & Enums — immutable records and string-keyed maps.
• Standard Library — core builtins and available std/*.vela modules.
• Examples — source-indexed examples from .sources/vela/examples.
• Design Notes — current status and planned work from .sources/vela/design.

In this section

Use the sidebar for the language tour, reference, standard library, and design notes. More is added as the language matures.