What is Zink?

Zink is a fast, readable scripting language built in Rust. It's designed to be the language you wish you'd learned first — clean syntax, zero boilerplate, and instant feedback.

Goals

• Readable by default — No semicolons, no type annotations, no ceremony. Code reads like pseudocode.
• Fast to run — Rust-powered interpreter with quick startup and execution.
• Easy to learn — A small, consistent language with no hidden complexity.
• Fun to write — String interpolation, say for printing, and loop N times for counted loops.

A Taste of Zink

# Variables
let name = "World"
let count = 5

# Functions
fn greet(who) {
  say "Hello, {who}!"
}

# Loops
loop count times {
  greet(name)
}

# Arrays + higher-order functions
let nums = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
let doubled = map(nums, fn(x) { return x * 2 })
say "Doubled: {doubled}"

Architecture

Zink follows a classic interpreter pipeline:

Source Code → Lexer → Tokens → Parser → AST → Interpreter → Output

Component	File	Description
Lexer	lexer.rs	Tokenizes source into tokens
Parser	parser.rs	Recursive-descent AST builder
Interpreter	interpreter.rs	Tree-walk evaluator + builtins
CLI	main.rs	File runner, REPL, stdin pipe

Who is Zink for?

• Beginners who want a gentle introduction to programming concepts
• Educators who need a simple language for teaching
• Hobbyists who enjoy exploring language design
• Rustaceans who want to see a complete interpreter implementation