# google/rune

Rune is a programming language developed to test ideas for improving security and efficiency.

Repository: https://github.com/google/rune
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/google-rune
Language: C
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-07-13T03:14:31+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 74/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 92, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1765, "days_push": 51, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1929, forks 45 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:55.934669+00:00)

## What it is
Rune is an experimental, Python-inspired systems programming language from Google that compiles to C and emphasizes memory safety and constant-time handling of secrets. It integrates DataDraw-style Structure-of-Arrays data structures for high performance on memory-intensive workloads.

## Use cases
- write memory-safe systems code faster than C++
- protect secrets against timing attacks with dedicated secret types
- build high-performance relational data structures in a language
- experiment with new programming language security features
- interoperate with existing C and C++ libraries
- prototype a DB-embedded language with recursive self-referential data

## When to choose
- you are researching language-level security features like constant-time secret handling
- you want Python-like ergonomics with C-level performance
- your workload is memory-intensive and benefits from SoA layout
- you need tight interop with C/C++ codebases

## When to avoid
- you need a production-ready, stable language today
- your team relies on mature tooling, libraries, and ecosystem support
- the project requires officially supported Google product guarantees

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: experimental
- function: programming-language, compiler, security, cryptography
- domain: programming-languages, security, developer-tools, compilers
- platform: cpp, python
- tags: systems-programming, memory-safety, constant-time, structure-of-arrays, datadraw, c-interop, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- google/rune (main) score 74

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.934669+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:09:02.441395+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/google/rune (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:55.934669+00:00, sha bd715a090c29)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.