ThinkingLanguage

A purpose-built language for Data Engineering & AI — Modern Problems need Modern Solutions.

ThinkingLanguage (TL) replaces the fragile Python + SQL + YAML + Spark glue-code stack with a single, coherent language where data pipelines, transformations, AI model training, and real-time streaming are first-class language constructs.

Highlights

• Native tables — columnar data backed by Apache Arrow/DataFusion with pipe-based transforms
• AI/ML built-in — tensors, model training (linfa), ONNX inference, embeddings, LLM APIs
• Streaming & Pipelines — ETL/ELT constructs, windowed streams, Kafka integration
• GPU acceleration — wgpu-based tensor operations on Vulkan/Metal/DX12/WebGPU
• Multiple backends — bytecode VM (default), LLVM AOT native compilation, WASM browser target
• Gradual typing — optional type annotations, generics, traits, Result/Option with ? operator
• Ownership semantics — pipe-as-move, .clone(), read-only &ref, use-after-move detection
• Rich tooling — LSP server, VS Code extension, formatter, linter, doc generator, package manager

Installation

Pre-built binaries (recommended)

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases.

Linux (x86_64):

curl -LO https://github.com/mplusm/thinkinglanguage/releases/latest/download/tl-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
tar xzf tl-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
sudo mv tl /usr/local/bin/

macOS (Apple Silicon):

curl -LO https://github.com/mplusm/thinkinglanguage/releases/latest/download/tl-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
tar xzf tl-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
sudo mv tl /usr/local/bin/

Windows: Download tl-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip from the releases page, extract, and add tl.exe to your PATH.

From crates.io

cargo install thinkinglanguage
# With SQLite support
cargo install thinkinglanguage --features sqlite

From source

git clone https://github.com/mplusm/thinkinglanguage.git
cd thinkinglanguage
cargo build --release --features sqlite

Quick Start

# Run a script
tl run hello.tl

# Start the REPL
tl shell

A Taste of TL

Variables and Functions

let name = "world"
let nums = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

fn greet(who: string) -> string {
    "Hello, {who}!"
}

let doubled = nums |> map((x) => x * 2) |> filter((x) => x > 4)
print(greet(name))
print(doubled)

Data Pipelines

let users = read_csv("users.csv")

users
    |> filter(age > 30)
    |> select(name, age, department)
    |> with { senior = age > 35 }
    |> aggregate(by: department, count: count(), avg_age: avg(age))
    |> sort(count, "desc")
    |> show()

AI / Machine Learning

let data = read_csv("iris.csv")
let model = train_model(data, target: "species", algorithm: "random_forest")
let predictions = predict(model, new_data)

let t = tensor([[1.0, 2.0], [3.0, 4.0]])
let result = t |> matmul(tensor([[5.0], [6.0]]))

Streaming

pipeline etl_daily {
    schedule: "0 6 * * *"
    steps {
        extract read_csv("raw_data.csv")
        transform |> filter(status == "active") |> select(id, name, score)
        load write_parquet("clean_data.parquet")
    }
}

Architecture

Source (.tl)
    │
    ▼
┌─────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌─────────┐    ┌───────────┐
│  Lexer  │───▶│  Parser  │───▶│   AST   │───▶│ Compiler  │
│ (logos) │    │(rec.desc)│    │         │    │           │
└─────────┘    └──────────┘    └─────────┘    └─────┬─────┘
                                                    │
                              ┌──────────────────┬──┴──────────────┐
                              ▼                  ▼                 ▼
                        ┌──────────┐      ┌───────────┐    ┌────────────┐
                        │ Bytecode │      │   TL-IR   │    │    LLVM    │
                        │    VM    │      │ Optimizer  │    │  Backend   │
                        │(default) │      │           │    │  (AOT)     │
                        └──────────┘      └───────────┘    └────────────┘
                              │                                   │
                              ▼                                   ▼
                        ┌──────────┐                       ┌────────────┐
                        │   WASM   │                       │   Native   │
                        │ Backend  │                       │  Binary    │
                        └──────────┘                       └────────────┘

Feature Flags

TL uses Cargo feature flags for optional integrations:

# Build with specific features
cargo build --release --features "sqlite,gpu,async-runtime"

# Build with all features (except llvm-backend which needs LLVM 19 installed)
cargo build --release --features "sqlite,mysql,redis,s3,kafka,python,gpu,async-runtime,notebook,registry"

CLI Commands

Project Structure

crates/
  tl-lexer/          Tokenization (logos)
  tl-ast/            Abstract syntax tree
  tl-parser/         Recursive descent parser
  tl-interpreter/    Tree-walking interpreter
  tl-compiler/       Bytecode compiler + register VM
  tl-types/          Type system and checker
  tl-errors/         Error types and diagnostics
  tl-data/           Data engine (DataFusion, Arrow)
  tl-ai/             AI/ML (ndarray, linfa, ONNX)
  tl-stream/         Streaming and pipelines
  tl-ir/             Intermediate representation optimizer
  tl-llvm/           LLVM AOT backend (inkwell)
  tl-wasm/           WASM browser backend
  tl-gpu/            GPU tensor operations (wgpu)
  tl-lsp/            Language Server Protocol
  tl-package/        Package manager
  tl-registry/       Package registry server
  tl-cli/            CLI entry point
editors/
  vscode/            VS Code extension
benchmarks/          Criterion benchmarks
examples/            Example .tl programs
docs/                Documentation

Documentation

Detailed documentation is available in the docs/ directory:

• Getting Started — Installation, quickstart, editor setup
• Language Guide — Syntax, types, functions, structs, generics, error handling
• Data Engineering — Tables, connectors, streaming, data quality
• AI & ML — Tensors, model training, ONNX inference
• Tools & Ecosystem — CLI, package manager, notebook, LSP
• Advanced Topics — Backends, Python FFI, security, schema evolution

Tests

# Run all tests (excluding feature-gated crates)
cargo test --workspace --exclude tl-llvm --exclude tl-wasm --exclude tl-gpu

# With specific features
cargo test --workspace --exclude tl-llvm --exclude tl-wasm --exclude tl-gpu --features sqlite

License

MIT OR Apache-2.0