23 releases
Uses new Rust 2024
| 0.5.9 | Mar 27, 2026 |
|---|---|
| 0.5.8 | Mar 27, 2026 |
| 0.4.9 | Mar 16, 2026 |
| 0.3.5 | Mar 1, 2026 |
| 0.3.3 | Feb 15, 2026 |
#402 in Rust patterns
3.5MB
89K
SLoC
Pixel Script
A multi language scripting runtime built in Rust.
PixelScript lets you expose the same API to multiple different languages in your program. Because it compiles to a C library, you can use it anywhere.
Why PixelScript?
Because most games pick only one language for scripting. PixelScript gives modders and scripters a choice:
- Performance? Go with Lua.
- Data/science/prototyping? Choose Python.
- Web developers? You got JavaScript.
Each language runtime uses the same PixelScript bindings.
Version
pixelscript crate is currently at version 0.5.9.
How to use
pixelscript can be used within a rust application or via ffi.
Rust based
For rust based (i.e. using this library inside a rust application) you can add it with cargo:
cargo add pixelscript
FFI based
For using pixelscript via ffi, clone this repository and run:
python scripts/build.py
This will build the project and place the necessary static libraries in a /pxsb folder. It will also generate a pixelscript.h C header file.
Supported languages
| Feature flag | Language | Engine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
lua |
Lua | mlua | Fast, battle tested, v5.4 |
python |
Python | pocketpy V2.1.8 | Requires MSVC on Windows |
js |
JavaScript | rquickjs | QuickJS small library. Supports ES2023 |
CoreLib
To include the PixelScript core API, add the include-core feature. Or include the specific modules as feature tags.
| Module name | Module purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
pxs_json |
Adds encode/decode functions for all languages. |
pxs_json
Overview of what is incldued in pxs_json module.
| Name | Type | Doc Comment |
|---|---|---|
encode |
Function | Encodes a object into a JSON string. |
decode |
Function | Decodes a JSON string into a language object |
Example
Here is a "Hello World" example supporting Lua, Python, JavaScript and PHP.
#include "pixelscript.h"
// One without the macro
pxs_VarT println(pxs_VarT args) {
// Get contents (0 is always Runtime)
pxs_VarT contents_var = pxs_listget(args, 1);
char* contents_str = pxs_getstring(contents_var);
printf("%s", contents_str);
// Free the string
pxs_freestr(contents_str);
}
int main() {
pxs_initialize();
// Create a module
pxs_Module* main = pxs_newmod("main");
// Add callbacks
pxs_addfunc(main, "println", println, NULL);
// Lua
const char* lua_script = "local main = require('main')\n"
"main.println('Hello World from Lua!')";
char* error = pxs_exec(pxs_Lua, lua_script, "<ctest>");
pxs_freestr(error);
// Python
const char* python_script = "import main\n"
"main.println('Hello World from Python')\n";
char* error = pxs_execpython(pxs_Python, python_script, "<ctest>");
pxs_freestr(error);
// JavaScript
const char* js_script = "import * as main from 'main';\n"
"main.println('Hello World from JavaScript!');";
char* error = pxs_execjs(pxs_JavaScript, js_script, "<ctest>");
pxs_freestr(error);
pxs_finalize();
return 0;
}
Used in
- Pixel Ai Dash
Future
This will ideally be used by all future epochtech games since it allows for modding in multiple languages. It's not quite ready to be used in production for anyone other than myself and epochtech. But if you make PRs to fix something or open issues, I will be responding and merging. Feel free to add a language, just check out /lua or /python for examples on how to use Var, Func, Module, PixelObject, and PixelScripting.
Note: JS is still being implemented.
Made with ❤️ by @epochtechgames
Dependencies
~0.8–5.5MB
~108K SLoC