Open Beta Status

BWSL is in open beta. The compiler, playground, examples, and docs are available for real use, but the language is not frozen yet. You can build shaders, evaluate engine integration, and try the standard library today; you should also expect some syntax, reflection details, and advanced features to change before a stable release.

The beta is focused on practical shader authoring: one source file can describe pipeline structure, shader-visible resources, variants, passes, and backend outputs without relying on external template systems.

Good Fits

BWSL is a good fit during beta if you want to:

• prototype material, post-processing, compute, or multi-pass shader workflows
• evaluate source-declared resources and generated binding reflection
• test shader variants without building a custom preprocessor layer
• experiment with embedded standard modules such as Math, Random, Noise, Color, Compression, Debug, Packing, PBR, Globals, PostFX, Sampling, SDF, and Spaces
• compile one shader source toward SPIR-V plus optional Metal, HLSL, GLSL, or GLSL ES output
• embed the WASM compiler in browser tools, playgrounds, or editor workflows

For a first pass, start with Quick Start, then read Integration, Resources, and Shader Variants.

Supported Core Surface

These areas are the main beta-supported surface:

Area	Status
Pipeline and module files	Supported for normal authoring, including file-scope modules next to pipelines in the same source file.
Graphics passes	Supported with vertex and fragment stages, stage I/O, interpolation-qualified varyings, declared fragment color outputs, and built-in namespaces.
Compute passes	Supported for compute shader entry points and compute built-ins.
Attributes and resources	Supported through source-declared attributes {} and resources {} blocks, including module-defined struct resource payloads.
Reflection	Supported through generated metadata and -bindings output. The schema may still gain fields as beta feedback comes in.
Variants	Supported through variants {}, variant rules, implicit optional-input variants, -variant, and -dump-variant-space.
Types	Supported across scalars, vectors, matrices, structs, enums, arrays, and pointers.
Functions and modules	Supported for ordinary helpers, overloads, stage-returning helpers, pass-block-returning helpers, file-scope modules, module imports, import aliases, using declarations, module-qualified access, and standard modules.
Intrinsics	Supported for documented math, vector, texture, derivative, atomic, bit, packing, wave, and classification functions.
Backends	SPIR-V is generated internally and written by default when no format is requested; -spv writes .spv sidecars alongside translated outputs. Metal, HLSL, GLSL, GLSL ES, and direct GLES are available through compiler flags.
Diagnostics	Supported through formatted text output and -errors-json with schema-versioned diagnostic records and BWSL... error codes.
WASM compiler	Supported for playground and editor-style tooling.
VS Code extension	Included in the source repo for .bwsl syntax highlighting, language configuration, and snippets.
Specification draft	Source-tree spec and BNF grammar live in docs/spec/ for exact syntax and conformance references.

For the generated feature inventory, see Compiler Coverage.

Areas Still Settling

Some features are implemented but should be treated as provisional or implementation-defined during beta:

Area	What to expect
eval and compile-time expansion	Useful for controlled shader generation, but the comptime model may become cleaner before stable release. Prefer the documented examples.
Stage-returning functions	Vertex and fragment composition are available, but this is not the simplest path for most shaders.
Compute graph	Dependency tracking exists, but public syntax and scheduling guidance are not settled.
Constants and parameter syntax	More than one accepted form may exist. Use the canonical style shown in these docs for shared code.
Pattern matching and flag enums	Useful advanced features, but some details are still implementation-defined.
Wave/subgroup operations	Available through wave_* intrinsics, but backend and hardware behavior should be tested on your target platforms.

Compatibility During Beta

The beta will prefer forward progress over strict compatibility. Stable-looking documented workflows should remain as consistent as possible, but breaking changes can still happen when they make the language simpler, remove ambiguity, or fix a weak abstraction.

When upgrading compiler versions:

• recompile all shader sources
• replace backend-style matrix type names such as float2x2, float3x3, and float4x4 with mat2, mat3, and mat4
• inspect generated reflection for binding or metadata changes
• inspect diagnostic handling if your tooling routes specific BWSL... error codes
• re-run representative variants
• test every backend you ship
• check release notes or docs updates for changes to provisional features

Reporting Issues

Useful beta reports are concrete and reproducible. Include:

• compiler version
• target backend, such as SPIR-V, Metal, HLSL, GLSL, or GLSL ES
• operating system, browser, GPU, and driver when relevant
• minimized .bwsl source
• exact CLI flags or playground preset
• expected behavior and actual behavior
• generated reflection or backend output when the issue is ABI-related

Small repros are much more useful than broad descriptions. If a shader only fails after variant selection, include the -variant flags or the -dump-variant-space output.

Next Steps

• Installation - Get the compiler
• Quick Start - Compile a first shader
• Integration - Wire BWSL into a build or engine
• Compiler Coverage - Inspect generated support status
• Playground - Try the WASM compiler and live preview