Goose language pairs stack-based memory with compile-time safety checks
The project says its new systems language avoids heap allocation and lifetime annotations, while reporting benchmark gains over C++ and Rust.
Goose is a new systems programming language built around compiler-managed data stacks and compile-time lifetime checks, according to its project site. It has no heap allocator, garbage collector or lifetime annotations.
The language stores dynamic values inline on data stacks. Its compiler infers lifetime roots and checks references at compile time; the project says each stack can grow without moving existing values. The compiler emits C, which can then be compiled into a native executable.
The project reports benchmark comparisons with C++ and Rust, including results where Goose runs faster and uses less memory. Those figures are project-reported, and the supplied material does not independently verify them or establish broader performance.
The site includes a language specification, standard library, samples, packages and a test suite that the project says runs across Windows, macOS and Linux. It also describes Goose as new, with some features and operating-system access still out of scope.
Goose’s creator, Wouter van Oortmerssen, says the project was produced almost entirely with AI, with Claude Fable assisting implementation, benchmarking and documentation. The project describes the language design as human-led.
