Skip to main content
Experimental TechnologyThe Arkade Compiler is experimental technology in active development. All code and examples presented here are for exploration and proof of concept purposes only. Do not use in production environments.

​
Arkade Compiler

Arkade Compiler

Official repository for the Arkade Script compiler
 The Arkade Compiler transforms high-level Arkade Script contracts into optimized Bitcoin Taproot scripts. It handles the complexity of Bitcoin Script generation, allowing developers to focus on contract logic rather than low-level script details.

​
Basic Usage

arkadec contract.ark
This will compile your Arkade Script contract to a JSON file that can be used with Bitcoin Taproot libraries.

​
Compiler Architecture

The Arkade Compiler consists of several components:
  1. Lexer: Tokenizes the source code
  2. Parser: Builds an abstract syntax tree (AST)
  3. Type Checker: Verifies type correctness
  4. Optimizer: Optimizes the AST for efficient execution
  5. Code Generator: Generates Bitcoin Script from the optimized AST

​
Compilation Process

The compilation process follows these steps:
  1. Parse the Arkade Script source code
  2. Analyze the contract structure and dependencies
  3. For each function in the contract:
    • Generate the cooperative path (with server signature)
    • Generate the unilateral path (with timelock)
  4. Optimize the generated scripts
  5. Generate the Taproot output structure
  6. Output the compiled contract in JSON format

​
Compiler Options

The Arkade Compiler supports several command-line options: 
# Compile with optimization level 2 (more aggressive)
arkadec --opt-level=2 contract.ark

# Output assembly instead of bytecode
arkadec --output=asm contract.ark

# Generate debug information
arkadec --debug contract.ark

# Specify output file
arkadec --output-file=contract.json contract.ark

​
Compilation Artifacts

The compiler produces a JSON file containing:
  • Contract metadata (name, version, etc.)
  • Constructor parameters
  • Function definitions
  • Generated script for each function (both cooperative and unilateral paths)
  • Source map for debugging
Example output: 
{
  "contractName": "MyContract",
  "constructorInputs": [
    { "name": "user", "type": "pubkey" },
    { "name": "server", "type": "pubkey" }
  ],
  "functions": [
    {
      "name": "spend",
      "functionInputs": [
        { "name": "userSig", "type": "signature" }
      ],
      "serverVariant": true,
      "require": [
        { "type": "signature" },
        { "type": "serverSignature" }
      ],
      "asm": [
        "<user>",
        "<userSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG",
        "<SERVER_KEY>",
        "<serverSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "spend",
      "functionInputs": [
        { "name": "userSig", "type": "signature" }
      ],
      "serverVariant": false,
      "require": [
        { "type": "signature" },
        { "type": "older", "message": "Exit timelock of 144 blocks" }
      ],
      "asm": [
        "<user>",
        "<userSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG",
        "144",
        "OP_CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY",
        "OP_DROP"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "source": "...",
  "compiler": {
    "name": "arkade-script",
    "version": "0.1.0"
  },
  "updatedAt": "2023-03-06T01:27:51.391557+00:00"
}

​
Script Optimization

The Arkade Compiler includes several optimization passes:
  • Constant folding: Evaluates constant expressions at compile time
  • Dead code elimination: Removes unreachable code
  • Stack optimization: Minimizes stack operations
  • Script size reduction: Compresses the generated script
These optimizations help reduce transaction fees and improve execution efficiency.

​
Debugging Support

The compiler provides debugging support through:
  • Source maps linking Bitcoin Script operations to Arkade Script source code
  • Detailed error messages with line and column information
  • Warnings for potential issues
  • Simulation mode for testing contract execution

​
Integration with Development Tools

The Arkade Compiler integrates with other development tools:
  • Contract Simulator: Test contract execution in various scenarios
  • Debugger: Step through contract execution to identify issues
  • Contract Explorer: Visualize contract state and execution paths

​
Future Directions

The Arkade Compiler roadmap includes:
  • Formal verification: Mathematical proof of contract correctness
  • Gas estimation: Predicting transaction fees before deployment
  • Cross-contract compilation: Supporting contract composition
  • Optimized library support: Pre-compiled common contract patterns

​
Contributing

Contributions to the Arkade Compiler are welcome! Areas where help is particularly valuable:
  • Optimization techniques
  • Testing infrastructure
  • Documentation improvements
  • New language features
Please refer to the contribution guidelines in the repository for more information.