Luau

Visit Tool

Luau is a small, fast, and embeddable programming language based on Lua, featuring a gradual type system. It is designed for game development and scripting, offering performance innovations and type inference.

Claim this tool

12Views

At a glance

Pricing

Open Source

Free tier

Yes

API

Yes

Skill level

Technical

About

What is luau?

Luau is a fast, small, safe, and embeddable scripting language derived from Lua, specifically designed with a gradual type system. It maintains backwards compatibility with Lua 5.1 while incorporating features from future Lua releases and expanding its capabilities with type annotations and a state-of-the-art type inference system. Largely implemented from scratch, Luau's runtime is a heavily modified version of Lua 5.1, featuring a completely rewritten interpreter and other performance innovations. It is widely used by Roblox game developers and engineers for application code and editor plugins, and has seen adoption in other games like Alan Wake 2 and Warframe. The language provides command-line tools for REPL, type checking, and linting, and can be integrated into C++ applications.

Best used for

Ideal for developers who need to implement game logic, create robust scripting environments, and integrate a high-performance language into their projects. Especially valuable for Roblox developers and those building applications requiring a fast, safe, and gradually typed scripting solution with strong type inference capabilities.

Common actions

develop games

script applications

embed language

type check code

lint code

deepfakecollaborationautomated workflowworkflowslow-code/no-code"AI Agents"face swappinggithub copilotopen-source

Capabilities

Key features

Gradual type system
Type inference
Lua 5.1 compatibility
Embeddable scripting language
Command-line REPL
Type checker
Linter

Target Audience

developergamer

Integrations

Not yet documented

Pricing & Plans

Open Source

Free

FAQs

What are the primary differences between Luau and standard Lua?

Luau is a heavily modified version of Lua 5.1, featuring a gradual type system, state-of-the-art type inference, and a completely rewritten interpreter for performance. While maintaining Lua 5.1 compatibility, it expands the feature set with type annotations and includes performance innovations not found in standard Lua.

Can Luau be used outside of Roblox?

Yes, Luau is an embeddable programming language designed for general use. While widely adopted by Roblox, it has also been used in other games like Alan Wake 2, Farming Simulator 2025, Second Life, and Warframe, and can be integrated into various C++ application projects.

What tools are provided with Luau for development?

Luau comes with two command-line tools: `luau` for a REPL and running input files, and `luau-analyze` for type checking and linting. Additionally, the community maintains `luau-lsp`, a language server frontend for `luau-analyze`, for use with text editors.

Trending

Subcategories trending in Coding & Development

Open Source & Models Code Assistants DevOps & Infrastructure No-Code / Low-Code Testing & QA Backend & APIs

Trending

Explore

Browse AI tools by category

Content & Design Productivity & Business Coding & Development AI Agents & Automation Research & Education Wellness & Lifestyle Career Development Marketing & Growth Data & Analytics Customer Support & CX Finance E-commerce