vercel-labs--zerolang/examples/README.md

Zero Examples

Use these examples as the hands-on path through Zero. Start at the top, run bin/zero check on graph inputs, and open the matching docs article when you want an explanation. .0 files beside these examples are human-readable projections for review; the commands below use .graph stores.

Profile And Size Checks

Use hello.graph and fixed-vec.graph to compare profile contracts and size metadata:

bin/zero build --json --profile debug --target linux-musl-x64 examples/hello.graph --out .zero/out/hello-debug
bin/zero build --json --profile fast --target linux-musl-x64 examples/hello.graph --out .zero/out/hello-fast
bin/zero build --json --profile small --target linux-musl-x64 examples/hello.graph --out .zero/out/hello-small
bin/zero size --json --profile tiny --target linux-musl-x64 examples/fixed-vec.graph

Build JSON reports profileSemantics and profileBudget. Size JSON adds sizeBreakdown, retentionReasons, and optimizationHints.

First Programs

Example	What it teaches	Try it
hello.graph	pub fn main, World, check, stdout	bin/zero check examples/hello.graph
hello-let.graph	immutable let bindings	bin/zero check examples/hello-let.graph
add.graph	helper functions, return, if / else	bin/zero build --emit exe --target linux-musl-x64 examples/add.graph --out .zero/out/add
direct-u8-helper-call.graph	direct backend signed LEB literals, byte arrays, and helper calls	bin/zero check examples/direct-u8-helper-call.graph
direct-array-bounds-trap.graph	direct backend stack-memory bounds traps	bin/zero check examples/direct-array-bounds-trap.graph
direct-string-len.graph	direct backend string literal length for compiler token scans	bin/zero check examples/direct-string-len.graph
direct-string-literal.graph	direct backend readonly string data segments and byte loads	bin/zero check examples/direct-string-literal.graph
direct-span-read.graph	direct backend readonly string slices as byte-span views	bin/zero check examples/direct-span-read.graph
direct-string-eql.graph	direct backend byte-span equality over readonly string views	bin/zero check examples/direct-string-eql.graph
direct-byte-view-locals.graph	direct backend local String/Span<u8> pointer-length byte views	bin/zero check examples/direct-byte-view-locals.graph
direct-mutspan-len.graph	direct backend local MutSpan<u8> pointer-length byte views	bin/zero check examples/direct-mutspan-len.graph
direct-byte-copy-fill.graph	direct backend mutable byte copy/fill over fixed buffers	bin/zero check examples/direct-byte-copy-fill.graph
direct-alloc-bump.graph	direct backend explicit FixedBufAlloc bump allocation over caller storage	bin/zero check examples/direct-alloc-bump.graph
direct-alloc-overflow.graph	direct backend fixed-buffer allocation overflow returns Maybe.none without hidden heap growth	bin/zero check examples/direct-alloc-overflow.graph
direct-token-shape.graph	direct backend stack layout for type literals, field loads, defaults, and field stores	bin/zero check examples/direct-token-shape.graph
direct-enum-match.graph	direct backend compact enum cases and exhaustive match branches without matcher tables	bin/zero check examples/direct-enum-match.graph
direct-raises-basic.graph	direct backend packed error-result propagation for raise and check	bin/zero check examples/direct-raises-basic.graph
direct-rescue-basic.graph	direct backend local rescue fallback over a raised error	bin/zero check examples/direct-rescue-basic.graph
direct-byte-buf.graph	direct backend monomorphic byte buffer push, length, capacity, and overflow checks	bin/zero check examples/direct-byte-buf.graph
direct-generic-identity.graph	direct backend explicit generic function specialization without runtime metadata	bin/zero check examples/direct-generic-identity.graph
direct-generic-fixedbuf.graph	direct backend generic storage type with concrete type and static value arguments	bin/zero check examples/direct-generic-fixedbuf.graph
direct-generic-vec.graph	direct backend generic fixed-capacity vector layout for byte, token, and AST-node element kinds	bin/zero check examples/direct-generic-vec.graph
direct-i64-return.graph	direct ELF64 object backend support for i64/u64 values	bin/zero build --emit obj --target linux-musl-x64 examples/direct-i64-return.graph --out .zero/out/direct-i64-return.o
direct-byte-view-reloc.graph	direct ELF64 readonly byte-view relocations for string-backed span locals	bin/zero build --emit obj --target linux-musl-x64 examples/direct-byte-view-reloc.graph --out .zero/out/direct-byte-view-reloc.o
functions.graph	calling functions and ignoring return values	bin/zero check examples/functions.graph
branch.graph	booleans and branches	bin/zero check examples/branch.graph
countdown.graph	while loop syntax	bin/zero check examples/countdown.graph

Data And Types

Example	What it teaches	Try it
point.graph	type, type literals, field access	bin/zero check examples/point.graph
result-choice.graph	enum, payload choice, exhaustive match, payload binding	bin/zero check examples/result-choice.graph
primitive-language-gaps.graph	fixed arrays, var, assignment	bin/zero check examples/primitive-language-gaps.graph
memory-primitives.graph	Span, Maybe, references, allocator vocabulary, std.mem spans	bin/zero check examples/memory-primitives.graph
allocator-collections.graph	fixed-buffer allocation, Vec capacity helpers, and fixed-capacity set operations without a global heap	bin/zero check examples/allocator-collections.graph && bin/zero mem --json examples/allocator-collections.graph
const-arithmetic.graph	top-level deterministic const values and arithmetic	bin/zero check examples/const-arithmetic.graph
compile-time-v1.graph	bounded meta, target/type reflection facts, Bool and enum static values, and compile-time JSON metadata	bin/zero check --json examples/compile-time-v1.graph
generic-pair.graph	multi-parameter generic type storage and field access	bin/zero run examples/generic-pair.graph
static-value-params.graph	integer static value parameters and fixed-capacity generic storage	bin/zero check examples/static-value-params.graph
fixed-vec.graph	field defaults, constructor-style type methods, receiver calls, Self, and static capacity	bin/zero check examples/fixed-vec.graph
type-alias.graph	alias Name ExistingType as compile-time spelling	bin/zero check examples/type-alias.graph
static-method.graph	static type method namespace calls without dispatch	bin/zero check examples/static-method.graph
static-interface.graph	static interface constraints over generic functions with direct calls	bin/zero check examples/static-interface.graph
fallibility.graph	raise, check, and explicit raises [...] error sets	bin/zero build --emit exe --target linux-musl-x64 examples/fallibility.graph --out .zero/out/fallibility && ./.zero/out/fallibility
ownership-cleanup.graph	owned<T> cleanup, canonical drop, and defer at lexical scope exit	bin/zero build --emit exe --target linux-musl-x64 examples/ownership-cleanup.graph --out .zero/out/ownership-cleanup && ./.zero/out/ownership-cleanup

Standard Library

Example	What it teaches	Try it
std-math.graph	pure fixed-width integer helpers and number-theory routines	bin/zero check examples/std-math.graph
codec-varint.graph	use std.codec, varint length, CRC-32	bin/zero check examples/codec-varint.graph
parse-cursor.graph	use std.parse, scanner predicates	bin/zero check examples/parse-cursor.graph
std-path-io.graph	std.path fixed-buffer path helpers and std.io caller-owned buffers	bin/zero check examples/std-path-io.graph
grep-scan.graph	Line-oriented scanning with std.io and std.str	bin/zero check examples/grep-scan.graph
std-str.graph	allocation-free byte-string helpers over spans and caller-owned storage	bin/zero check examples/std-str.graph
std-testing-log.graph	std.testing expectations and explicit-buffer std.log JSON Lines output	bin/zero test examples/std-testing-log.graph && bin/zero check examples/std-testing-log.graph
std-text-format-parse.graph	ASCII helpers, runtime parsing, caller-buffer formatting, and UTF-8 validation	bin/zero check examples/std-text-format-parse.graph
std-data-formats.graph	codec encode/decode, JSON lookup/writing, and URL query helpers over caller-owned buffers	bin/zero check examples/std-data-formats.graph
std-json-bytes.graph	byte-span JSON validation, parsing, and token streaming	bin/zero run --out /tmp/zero-json-bytes examples/std-json-bytes.graph
std-http-json.graph	hosted HTTP request envelope into caller storage, then byte-span JSON parsing	bin/zero check examples/std-http-json.graph
std-http-request.graph	hosted HTTP request envelope with custom method, headers, and body	bin/zero check examples/std-http-request.graph
std-http-headers.graph	hosted HTTP request envelope, response buffer, and header-value lookup	bin/zero check examples/std-http-headers.graph
json-api-client.graph	hosted JSON API client with request-envelope writing and response-body parsing	bin/zero check examples/json-api-client.graph
json-api-router.graph	dependency-free JSON API request parsing and response-envelope writing	bin/zero check examples/json-api-router.graph
crm-api/	binary graph-first CRM API router with account/contact/deal CRUD, activity, health, and search routes	bin/zero check examples/crm-api
binary-graph-store/	graph-first package with binary zero.graph storage and a synced .0 projection	bin/zero status examples/binary-graph-store && bin/zero run examples/binary-graph-store
std-platform.graph	std.time, std.rand, std.proc, and std.crypto capability-shaped helpers	bin/zero check examples/std-platform.graph
cli-file.graph	std.args, std.env, byte-span file writes, stderr/stdout	bin/zero check examples/cli-file.graph
cli-config.graph	std.cli, std.env, and JSON output checks	bin/zero check examples/cli-config.graph
file-copy.graph	Fs, explicit scratch storage, and hosted file copy	bin/zero check examples/file-copy.graph
zero-hash/	File checksum CLI with args, fixed buffers, readAll, and CRC-32 bytes	bin/zero check examples/zero-hash

Native Workflow Coverage

These examples are the small native workflow set used by docs and tests:

Surface	Example	Try it
arguments and environment	cli-file.graph	ZERO_CLI_FILE_MODE=verbose bin/zero check examples/cli-file.graph
filesystem resources	zero-hash/	bin/zero check examples/zero-hash
deterministic exit status	direct-exe-return.graph	bin/zero build --emit exe --target linux-musl-x64 examples/direct-exe-return.graph --out .zero/out/direct-exe-return
unhandled error exit path	direct-unhandled-error-exit.graph	bin/zero check examples/direct-unhandled-error-exit.graph

Interop And Packages

Example	What it teaches	Try it
config-shape.graph	extern c, extern type, C-shaped data	bin/zero check examples/config-shape.graph
systems-package/	zero.toml, multiple source files, std.codec/std.parse/std.time helpers	bin/zero check examples/systems-package
readall-cli/	package-local imports, named errors, std.fs.readAll, explicit fixed-buffer allocation	bin/zero check examples/readall-cli
batch3-cli/	module graph metadata, args fallbacks, path helpers, named fs errors, explicit allocation	bin/zero check examples/batch3-cli
resource-cli/	args/env fallback, path joins, std.mem.copy/fill, named-error owned-file resources	bin/zero check examples/resource-cli
memory-package/	target-neutral package imports and byte-span helper checks without hosted file I/O	bin/zero build --target linux-musl-x64 examples/memory-package --out .zero/out/memory-package
crm-api/	binary repository graph multi-module HTTP API package with 10+ CRM routes over request envelopes	bin/zero build --emit exe --profile debug --out /tmp/zero-crm-api examples/crm-api
binary-graph-store/	binary repository graph store loaded through normal package commands; .0 is the human-readable projection	bin/zero check examples/binary-graph-store && bin/zero test examples/binary-graph-store
direct-package-call-order/	direct backend package merge order and cross-module helper calls	bin/zero check examples/direct-package-call-order
error-tour/	copyable failing commands and repaired fixtures for common diagnostics	bin/zero explain TAR002

Build A Runnable Program

Most examples are designed for check. To build and run an executable, use a CLI entry point:

bin/zero dev --json --target linux-musl-x64 examples/add.graph
bin/zero build --emit exe --target linux-musl-x64 examples/add.graph --out .zero/out/add
./.zero/out/add

Expected output:

math works

The larger CLI path is examples/zero-hash/. It seeds a small file, reads it through a fixed-buffer allocator, computes CRC-32 over the read bytes without heap allocation, and prints:

zero-hash ok

For target-neutral direct cross builds, use examples/memory-package/. It exercises a multi-file package and byte-span helper checks without std.fs, so it can be checked and built against non-host targets:

bin/zero build --target linux-musl-x64 examples/memory-package --out .zero/out/memory-package

More Guidance

Run the docs site with:

pnpm run docs:dev

Start with Getting Started, then Learn Zero.