luac

Compile Lua script to bytecode

$ luac -o [output.luac] [script.lua]

$ luac -o [combined.luac] [script1.lua] [script2.lua]

$ luac -p [script.lua]

$ luac -l [script.lua]

$ luac -l -l [script.lua]

$ luac -s -o [stripped.luac] [script.lua]

$ luac -v

luac [-o output] [-l] [-p] [-s] [files]

luac compiles Lua source code into bytecode. The compiled output loads faster and can be distributed without source code.
Syntax checking with -p validates scripts without creating output. This is useful in build processes and CI pipelines to catch errors early.
The listing option (-l) shows the bytecode instructions, helping understand Lua's virtual machine and debug compilation issues. Double -l adds local variable and upvalue information.
Stripping debug info (-s) reduces file size but removes line numbers and local variable names, making debugging harder. Use for production deployment where size matters.
Multiple input files combine into a single output chunk. When executed, each file's code runs in order.
Bytecode format is version-specific and not portable between different Lua versions. Lua 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 have incompatible bytecode formats.

-o FILE

Output compiled bytecode to file.

List bytecode (use twice for more detail).

Parse only, don't generate output.

Strip debug information.

Print version.

Stop handling options.

Bytecode not portable between Lua versions. Stripping debug info prevents meaningful stack traces. Endianness and integer size may affect portability. LuaJIT uses different bytecode format.

luac has been part of Lua since early versions, developed at PUC-Rio (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro) in Brazil. Lua was created by Roberto Ierusalimschy, Waldemar Celes, and Luiz Henrique de Figueiredo starting in 1993. The compiler remains the standard tool for pre-compiling Lua code.

lua(1), luajit(1), luarocks(1)