tsbytes ⚡

The High-Performance Native TypeScript Compiler for the JVM.
Compile TypeScript directly to native JVM bytecode and executable JARs — without Node.js, V8, Kotlin, or Gradle.

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🚀 What is tsbytes?

tsbytes is a cutting-edge compiler written in Rust that takes standard TypeScript source files and compiles them directly into Java .class files and standalone, executable .jar archives.

Traditional TypeScript execution requires a heavy runtime environment like Node.js, Bun, or Deno. tsbytes bypasses interpreter runtimes entirely, translating your TypeScript syntax directly into native, optimized JVM bytecode. You keep the standard TypeScript developer experience — node_modules, type checking, and modern ES features — while gaining the legendary performance, reliability, and security of the JVM ecosystem.

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⚡ Performance Comparison

Metric	Node.js (V8)	JVM + Kotlin / Java	tsbytes (Compiled TS)
Startup / Cold Start	Slow (50ms+)	Slow (150ms+)	Ultra-Fast (3ms - 5ms)
Memory Footprint	Large (30MB+)	Large (80MB+)	Extremely Low (8MB)
Deployment Package	node_modules (100MB+)	Heavy Fat JAR (50MB+)	Standalone JAR (< 100KB)
Runtime Interpreter	Required (Node/V8)	Required (JRE)	Native JVM Bytecode

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💡 Key Use Cases (Where tsbytes Shines)

tsbytes is exceptionally well-suited for high-throughput, modern infrastructure where speed, portability, and security are paramount:

• ⚡ High-Performance Serverless & Microservices: Achieve near-instant millisecond cold starts on AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, or Kubernetes.
• 🛠️ Zero-Dependency CLI Tools: Compile your TypeScript command-line utilities into a single, highly portable .jar file that runs anywhere Java is installed.
• 🔒 Secure Enterprise Environments: Run secure TypeScript programs natively inside highly locked-down corporate JVM networks without installing JavaScript runtime engines.
• 📊 Distributed Data Processing: Write type-safe map/reduce, stream filters, or ETL pipelines in TypeScript and run them natively on high-performance JVM data engines (like Apache Spark, Flink, or Hadoop).
• 📦 Embedded Scripting: Embed compiled TypeScript routines inside Java desktop, backend, or Android systems as precompiled library classes.

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📦 Installation & Quick Start

Get up and running in seconds with cargo:

# Install the tsbytes compiler globally
cargo install tsbytes

# Create a new tsbytes project template
tsb init my-app
cd my-app

# Compile TypeScript directly to an executable JAR and execute it!
tsb jar src/main.ts --output app.jar
java -jar app.jar

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⚙️ How It Works Under the Hood

TypeScript Source  →  tsbytes Compiler  →  JVM Bytecode  →  Executable JAR
   (your code)            (Rust)             (.class)         (java -jar)

1. Write standard TypeScript: Fully compatible with standard ES2020 types and syntax.
2. AST Parsing: tsbytes parses your source code and builds an optimized Middle Intermediate Representation (MIR) and High Intermediate Representation (HIR) using SWC.
3. Native Bytecode Generation: Generates standard Java 8+ .class files directly, executing native closures, arrow functions, and class declarations without any middle-step Kotlin or Java transpilation.
4. Embedded Zero-Dependency Runtime: Packages everything — including a specialized JVM-backed, precompiled runtime helper package embedded directly in the compiler's binary — into a standard, lightweight, standalone executable JAR.

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🛠️ CLI Reference

tsb init [dir]

Scaffold a standard TypeScript workspace preconfigured for JVM target compilations.

tsb init my-app

• Generates a clean workspace: package.json, tsconfig.json, src/main.ts, and gitignore files.
• Installs dependencies and sets up scripts.

tsb compile <file>

Emit only JVM .class files to a target build directory.

tsb compile src/main.ts --output ./build --package com.example.app

Options:

• -o, --output <dir> — Output directory (default: ./build)
• -p, --package <pkg> — Target JVM package path (default: com.tsbytes.app)

tsb jar <file>

Compile TypeScript to a standalone, executable JAR archive.

tsb jar src/main.ts --output ./app.jar --package com.example.app

Options:

• -o, --output <path> — Output .jar path (default: ./output.jar)
• -p, --package <pkg> — Target JVM package path (default: com.tsbytes.app)

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🎯 Supported Standard Library & APIs

tsbytes features a robust, zero-dependency, JVM-native implementation of standard ES built-ins, offering fully compliant reference equality and performance benefits:

Built-in	Description	Status
Map	Insertion-ordered, custom key/value hash map mapping JS semantics.	✅
Set	Insertion-ordered unique item collection.	✅
WeakMap	Weak-referencing dynamic key-value map backing JVM WeakHashMap.	✅
WeakSet	Weak-referencing membership collection.	✅
Date	Epoch-backed UTC millisecond timestamps, parse wrappers, and getters/setters.	✅
RegExp	Dynamic RegExp engine matching captures, matches, indices, and .exec() / .test().	✅
JSON	Native high-performance stringifier and parser.	✅
fetch	Native HTTP Client wrapping JDK's high-performance HttpClient with full Response support!	✅

Object Identity Semantics

Unlike JVM structural collections, standard TsObject instances feature Reference Equality identity semantics (equals and hashCode delegate to standard reference addresses), perfectly adhering to ECMAScript standard behaviors when tracking object instances in collections.

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📂 Project Architecture

src/
├── swc_frontend/   # SWC AST parsing — TS source → AST
├── codegen/
│   ├── compiler/
│   │   ├── bytecode_emitter/ # JVM bytecode generation
│   │   ├── ir_builder/       # AST to HIR/MIR converter
│   │   ├── type_checker/     # Static type validation
│   │   ├── module_graph.rs   # Relative imports/exports path resolver
│   │   ├── runtime_gen.rs    # Embedded Java runtime class bundler
│   │   └── runtime_bytes.rs  # Embedded runtime .class bytes
│   ├── jar.rs                # Executable JAR packager
│   └── mod.rs                # CodeGenerator driver
├── cli/
│   └── init.rs               # Project scaffolding template
├── error.rs                  # Pretty-printed diagnostics
├── lib.rs                    # Public programmatic compiler library API
└── main.rs                   # CLI entrypoint

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions of all kinds! Please read our contributing guide to get started.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.