JIT-Compiling Domain Specific Languages

Creating embedded domain specific languages [DSLs] has become a popular technique for extending a general-purpose programming language with custom semantics. Traditionally, programs written in an embedded DSL can either be evaluated directly in the host language, or emit source in some lower-level language for performance. With advances in just-in-time compilation technology, viz. the Low Level Virtual Machine, programs written in embedded DSLs can be executed immediately without the overhead and delay of writing source to disk and invoking an additional compiler, and without compromising performance.

During this talk, we will survey real world implementations of JIT-compiled embedded DSLs and their applications.