Introduction to Zig

Zig is a modern systems language with no hidden control flow and no hidden allocations — what you write is what runs.

¶What is Zig?

Zig is a small, explicit, statically-typed language aimed at replacing C for systems work.

It has no macros, no preprocessor, and no hidden memory allocation — everything is visible in the code.

¶Your first example

Here is Zig saying hello. Read it top to bottom — every line earns its place.

const std = @import("std");

pub fn main() void {
    std.debug.print("Hello, world!\n", .{});
}

Hello, world!

¶Why learn Zig?

• Simpler and safer than C, with comparable performance.
• Seamless C interop — it can even compile C.
• Compile-time code execution without a separate macro language.

¶Where it is used

• Systems programming
• Embedded
• Replacing C
• Cross-compilation

¶How this track works

Every topic here has four views, switchable with the tabs at the top of each page:

• Learn — the clear, practical walkthrough you are reading now.
• Deep — every detail: edge cases, the full API, and what is really happening.
• Reference — a scannable, no-fluff lookup for when you already know the shape.
• Cheatsheet — the one-page summary, printable, for quick recall.