Installation

The compiler repo supports three installation paths:

• prebuilt command-line compilers from GitHub Releases
• a native CLI compiler for local builds and asset pipelines
• a WebAssembly build for browser tools, editors, and playgrounds

Download a Release

Prebuilt CLI binaries are published on the BWSL GitHub Releases page when a version is cut.

Choose the asset for your platform:

After downloading, put the binary somewhere on your PATH or call it directly from your build scripts. On macOS and Linux, make the binary executable if your browser or archive tool strips that bit:

chmod +x bwslc-*

Build the CLI Compiler

From the BWSL source repo:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/apresthus/BWSL.git
cd BWSL
make bwslc

This produces the native compiler in build/:

build/
└── bwslc

On Windows, the repo also includes build.bat and make.bat helpers:

build.bat bwslc

Verify Installation

The current compiler exposes help and version information through -h:

./build/bwslc -h

If bwslc is already on your PATH, the same check works as:

bwslc -h

The help output should show the compiler version and flags such as -o, -metal, -hlsl, -glsl, -gles, -variant, and -dump-variant-space.

WebAssembly Build

For browser-based compilation, build the WASM target:

make wasm

Artifacts are written to build/wasm/:

build/wasm/
├── bwsl.js
└── bwsl.wasm

Usage in JavaScript

import initBWSL from "./build/wasm/bwsl.js";

const bwsl = await initBWSL();

const result = bwsl.ccall(
  "compile",
  "string",
  ["string", "string", "string"],
  [
    shaderSource,
    "",
    "-internals -modules ./modules",
  ]
);

const output = JSON.parse(result);

The WASM build also exposes getSymbols for editor tooling and autocomplete.

Notes

• Releases are the easiest path for users who only need the compiler binary.
• Source builds require a C++20-capable toolchain.
• WASM builds require Emscripten (emcc) in PATH.
• Resources are declared in source; host-only preview or render-graph metadata should be handled outside the compiler call.

Next Steps

• Quick Start - Write your first shader
• CLI Reference - Full command-line flag reference
• Integration - Build-system and engine integration