zig

Compile and run a file

$ zig run [file.zig]

$ zig build

$ zig build-exe [file.zig]

$ zig build-obj [file.zig]

$ zig fmt [file.zig]

$ zig test [file.zig]

$ zig repl

zig [command] [options] [arguments]

Zig is a systems programming language focused on safety, performance, and maintainability. The zig command is both a compiler and build system.
Key features include compile-time code execution (comptime), optional safety checks, C interoperability, and built-in cross-compilation to many targets without external toolchains.
Zig can also serve as a drop-in C/C++ compiler (zig cc, zig c++) with consistent cross-compilation capabilities, making it useful even for non-Zig projects.
The build system uses build.zig files written in Zig itself, providing full language power for build configuration.

-O mode

Optimization mode (Debug, ReleaseSafe, ReleaseFast, ReleaseSmall)

Cross-compilation target

Add include directory

Link library

Output assembly

Show compile error reference traces

build

Build project using build.zig

Compile to executable

Compile to library

Compile to object file

Compile and run immediately

Run unit tests

Format source code

Use Zig as a C compiler

Use Zig as a C++ compiler

Translate C code to Zig

Initialize executable project

Initialize library project

Zig is still pre-1.0 and the language/standard library may change between versions.
Debug builds include runtime safety checks that catch bugs but have performance overhead.
Cross-compilation is powerful but target-specific system libraries may still be needed for some features.

gcc(1), clang(1), rustc(1), make(1)