Alternatives

Products that do what I Made a Lisp does

Hi all, powerful open-source Lisp implementations are a dime a dozen, why not try JMurmel instead? The language is inspired by Common Lisp, except it's a Lisp-1, and it is mostly a subset of CLtL-1. Jmurmel can be used standalone with or without the Repl, for "#!"-style hashbang scripts or embedded in a Java program. It features [documentation for the core language](https://jmurmel.github.io/murmel-langref.html) as well as [documentation for the default library](https://jmurmel.github.io/mlib.html), a REPL, an interpreter, a compiler, macros, backquotes,…

1. 1LI
   Lisp implementation in modern Java, Go, C#, TypeScript, Python▲128

   2021 · github.com

2. 2JE
   jql – Easier jq Alternative with a Lispy Syntax Written in Go▲217

   2020 · github.com

3. 3FS
   Full Stack Lisp – A book in progress about writing Common Lisp apps▲338

   2016 · fullstacklisp.com

4. 4FC
   Farolero – Common Lisp style-conditions and restarts for Clojure▲150

   2021 · github.com

5. 5AL
   a Lisp that uses JSON instead of S-expressions (in .js)▲69

   2011 · github.com

6. 6JS
   JSON-Safe Lisp Language▲5

   Relatively simple currently, but figured I'd post for some feedback. I started this project last year but somewhat abandoned it. This feels like something which most likely already exists, but I couldn't find anything at the time I made it. I feel like my write up on the repo is pretty good at explaining the inspiration and purpose of this package; "Let's say you have an API, and you're looking for a method by which you can increase performance of your app via doing transformations of the data directly in the API. In this scenario, you would middleman the API returned data through a Fluxduct…

   2022 · github.com

7. 7RA
   Runiq, a little Lisp-inspired language that runs on JavaScript▲24

   2015 · github.com

8. 8CI
   Clojure in the Open – simple tasks from open-source projects▲81

   2014 · longstorm.org

9. 9CU
   Compiler using Lisp’s macro system for metaprogramming C-like languages▲80

   2018 · github.com

10. 10SL
    small lisp interpreter in Haskell▲25

    2012 · github.com

11. 11CE
    Cljbang.el – A Clojure-like language that runs as Emacs Lisp▲5

    Jul 2026 · github.com

12. 12AA
    Awl, a toy Lisp language written in C and transpiled to JavaScript▲8

    2014 · skepsi.me

13. 13MS
    my small open source web app written entirely in Clojure▲18

    I've implemented a small web app — (a hassle-free hosting for markdown pages) entirely in Clojure and here is what I think: http://notehub.org/2012/6/16/how-notehub-is-built The app itself: http://notehub.org GitHub: http://github.com/chmllr/NoteHub

    2012

14. 14OS
    Open-sourcing our large Clojure(Script) Re-frame/Hasura web app▲21

    2020 · github.com

15. 15LI
    Lisp in Five Days▲9

    Hi HN! I kept hearing about Lisp and why it was special but didn't have a great place to start. I wanted something self-contained that helped me develop intuition rather than fluency. My hope is this is helpful for casual programmers, professionals from other fields who interact with code, or engineers who haven't had much exposure to interpreters or compilers. Hope this helps anyone else who's curious about getting a sense of Lisp and what makes it special with a limited time investment! Feedback or other cool Lisp things welcome :)

    2022 · github.com

16. 16AR
    A REPL for Java▲6

    2013 · github.com

17. 17JA
    Jixp, a Lisp DSL for describing Jax neural nets▲6

    This is a side project I've been working on while learning Jax. I noticed that a bunch of the neural net math looked like it would work well in a lisp syntax because most of the data flows through layers in a "functional" manner. Data is threaded through one layer at a time, each layer composing with the previous layer. Jixp is designed as a learning tool for myself while learning Jax to toy around with different shapes/styles of models. I used this to train a 4m parameter model on my Obsidian vault to see if I could use it for recall which partially worked. ```lisp (let-dim (d 256)…

    Jul 2026 · github.com

18. 18L0
    Lambda 0.2 – a func language better than TypeScrip, jq and jQuery▲9

    What's your tool chain for data and document processing? - jq is great, but limited to JSON; and jQuery limited to HTML; templating systems get messy for non-trivial logic; TypeScript lacks pattern matching and schema support. So I built Lambda — an expressive functional language that combines the power of Lisp, TypeScript, and many DSLs like jq, jQuery, RelaxNG, etc. It has a lightweight 9 MB runtime, built from scratch in C/C++, that provides an end-to-end document processing pipeline (parse → validate/query/transform → layout → render/view). Internally, Lambda parse…

    Mar 2026 · github.com

19. 19SA
    SBCLI–A simple Steelbank Common Lisp REPL that doesn’t suck▲13

    2018 · github.com

20. 20IW
    I wrote a book about Clojure▲7

    Hey HN, I wrote a short book about the fundamental aspects of Clojure. The target audience is programmers with at least minimal experience who want to learn how to express solutions in Clojure (and perhaps in LISP, generally). If the price is a bit too steep for you, send me an email (address in bio), and I'll provide a discount coupon. If you can't afford it all, and believe the material may help you for studying or interview preparations, I can send you a free copy.

    2025 · leanpub.com

21. 21FA
    Fleck: a Clojure-like Lisp that runs wherever Bash is▲6

    2019 · github.com

22. 22MO
    My own programming language Una (mix of JavaScript, Lisp and Python)▲7

    2020 · github.com

23. 23AA
    ajl, a simple compile to C++ language▲12

    2017 · github.com

24. 24IA
    Implementing a Lispy Language in Haskell: Part 1▲6

    2015 · harlanhaskins.com

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