Course of Raku / Essentials / Compilers
The Raku++ compiler 🆕
Raku++ — its executable is called
rakupp — is a second Raku compiler, first released in July
2026. Where Rakudo runs on the MoarVM virtual machine, Raku++ is written
in C++ and needs no virtual machine of its own.
It is both an interpreter and a
compiler: it can run a program directly, or translate
it into native code for extra speed. Because there is no heavy runtime
to start up, rakupp launches in just a few milliseconds,
which makes it pleasant for short scripts and everyday command-line
work. Its author describes it as the fastest Raku compiler.
Raku++ implements Raku 6.d by default, and 6.e when a program asks
for it with use v6.e.PREVIEW. Version 5.4.1, released in
October 2026, passes all 1,425 test files of the Roast suite — the
official set of Raku tests.
Raku++ also runs in a web browser: compiled to WebAssembly, it powers the playground at raku.online, where you can try Raku without installing anything.
Interpreter and compiler modes
Run a program straight away, just as you would with Rakudo:
$ rakupp hello.rakuOr ask Raku++ to turn a program into a standalone native executable, which runs even faster:
$ rakupp --exe hello.raku -o hello
$ ./helloFor everyday learning the plain interpreter mode is all you need; the compiling modes are there when you want the extra speed.
Source code
Raku++ is open source. You can find it, together with release binaries and build instructions, at github.com/ash/rakupp.