---
id:"kb-2026-00307"
title:"Zig Language"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"computer-science"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"Zig Documentation"
    type:"documentation"
    year:2026
    url:"https://ziglang.org/documentation/"
    institution:"Zig Software Foundation"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Zig (Andrew Kelley, 2016) is a systems programming language competing with C — manual memory management without hidden allocations, compile-time execution, and seamless C interoperability (can import C headers directly). No garbage collector, no hidden control flow. Bun JS runtime is written in Zig.

## Core Explanation

No hidden allocations: `ArrayList(T).init(allocator)` requires explicit allocator. `comptime`: execute code at compile time — generic types, optimization. `defer` for cleanup (like Go). C interop: `@cImport(@cInclude('stdio.h'))` — direct access to C libraries. No macros or preprocessor: all metaprogramming via comptime. Error handling: `try` and `catch` without exceptions.

## Further Reading

- [Zig Documentation](https://ziglang.org/documentation/)