Micro language implementation: Calcium

· Ned Batchelder · Aug. 22, 2026, 8:15 p.m.
Summary
This blog post introduces a tiny language implementation called Calcium, created to clarify how languages like Python are executed. It features key components like a tokenizer, parser, AST, compiler, bytecodes, and execution engine, explained concisely within 300 lines of code. The author highlights its utility in demonstrating execution mechanisms in Python and suggests it as a starting point for those interested in language implementation.