NodeAmiga — JavaScript runtime for AmigaOS
Version: 0.21.0 ·
Target: AmigaOS 2.0+ (MC68000 and up) ·
Requires: 1 MB RAM, optionally bsdsocket.library for networking.
NodeAmiga is a Node.js-inspired JavaScript runtime written from scratch in C for classic Amigas. It lets you write programs in modern JavaScript and run them directly under AmigaOS — no cross-compiler needed. This guide describes what's available to you as an author of scripts.
Author: Juen / Project R3D + Appendix + Nah-Kolor
(biuro@cdlabel.info) ·
Docs: http://juen.in/NodeAmiga/ ·
Aminet: dev/lang/NodeAmiga.lha
Quick start
NodeAmiga hello.js ; run a script file
NodeAmiga -e "console.log(2+2)" ; one-liner
NodeAmiga ; interactive REPLWhat's in this guide
| Section | What you'll find |
|---|---|
| Global API | Everything you can use without require() — console, Math, JSON, Date, Promise, Buffer, fetch, setTimeout, typed arrays, Map/Set, regular expressions, and the process object. |
| Modules | Everything you load with require('name'): standard-library modules (fs, http, net, path, url, buffer, os, events, stream, util, zlib, crypto, assert, querystring, readline, dns, timers, string_decoder, punycode) and Amiga-specific modules (gui, intuition, clipboard, arexx, amiga FFI, iff). |
| Examples | The 44 demo scripts shipped in examples/, grouped by topic. For each one: what it demonstrates and which modules it touches. |
| Limitations & gotchas | Where NodeAmiga differs from Node.js on a PC: language features that aren't supported, modules that return stubs, performance gotchas, and Amiga-specific quirks you should know about. |
What JavaScript you can write
NodeAmiga supports the most useful subset of modern JavaScript:
- Full ES5 (everything from the original spec)
- Arrow functions, classes with
extendsandsuper, template literals, destructuring, spread/rest, default parameters let/const,for-of, labeled loopsasync/awaitand generators (function*,yield)- Optional chaining
?., nullish coalescing?? - Regex literals
/pattern/flags BigInt,Symbol,Map/Set/WeakMap/WeakSet- Typed arrays (
Uint8Array,Int16Array, etc.),ArrayBuffer,DataView - Modules (both
require()/CommonJS andimport/ESM)
See Limitations for what's NOT supported.
Two execution modes
NodeAmiga has two interchangeable JavaScript engines:
- Bytecode VM (default) — compiles your code to a compact bytecode and runs it in a stack-based interpreter. Faster for most code.
- Tree-walking interpreter — directly interprets the AST. Slower, but used as a fallback for constructs the bytecode VM doesn't yet support (destructuring assignments,
with, etc.).
You rarely need to care which one runs your code. Use --tree on the command line if you want to force the tree-walker.
Packaging your script as a standalone executable
NodeAmiga can bundle your script plus any require()d files into a
single executable that runs without the NodeAmiga binary beside it:
NodeAmiga -compile myapp.js MyAppThe resulting MyApp includes the NodeAmiga runtime plus your script
bundled in a "NAJE" footer. Double-click it from Workbench, drop it on
Aminet, or redistribute it freely.
Command-line reference
NodeAmiga ; interactive REPL
NodeAmiga script.js ; run a file
NodeAmiga script.js arg1 arg2 ; with arguments (in process.argv)
NodeAmiga -e "code" ; evaluate a string
NodeAmiga --ast script.js ; print the parsed AST (for debugging)
NodeAmiga --tree script.js ; force the tree-walker (no VM)
NodeAmiga --debug script.js ; step-debugger; see below
NodeAmiga -compile in.js out ; bundle into a standalone exe
NodeAmiga -v / -help ; show version / usageInside --debug you get an interactive prompt with commands
s (step), n (next), c (continue),
o (out), b N (set breakpoint at line N),
d N (delete breakpoint), l (list source),
p expr (print variable), bt (backtrace),
q (quit), h (help).
REPL features
When you run NodeAmiga with no arguments you get an interactive
prompt. It supports:
- History (last 32 lines) via Up/Down arrows (AmigaOS CSI 0x9B cursor keys)
- Multi-module sessions —
require()works as in a script - Expression results — the value of the last expression is printed after each line