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README
Overview
OCaml is an implementation of the ML language, based on the Caml Light dialect extended with a complete class-based object system and a powerful module system in the style of Standard ML.
OCaml comprises two compilers. One generates bytecode which is then interpreted by a C program. This compiler runs quickly, generates compact code with moderate memory requirements, and is portable to essentially any 32 or 64 bit Unix platform. Performance of generated programs is quite good for a bytecoded implementation. This compiler can be used either as a standalone, batch-oriented compiler that produces standalone programs, or as an interactive, toplevel-based system.
The other compiler generates high-performance native code for a number of processors. Compilation takes longer and generates bigger code, but the generated programs deliver excellent performance, while retaining the moderate memory requirements of the bytecode compiler. The native-code compiler currently runs on the following platforms:
| Tier 1 (actively maintained) | Tier 2 (maintained when possible) | |
|---|---|---|
x86 64 bits |
Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD |
NetBSD, OpenBSD |
x86 32 bits |
Linux, Windows |
FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD |
ARM 64 bits |
Linux |
FreeBSD |
ARM 32 bits |
Linux |
FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD |
Power 64 bits |
Linux |
|
Power 32 bits |
Linux |
|
RISC-V 64 bits |
Linux |
|
IBM Z (s390x) |
Linux |
Other operating systems for the processors above have not been tested, but the compiler may work under other operating systems with little work.
Copyright
All files marked "Copyright INRIA" in this distribution are copyright 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) and distributed under the conditions stated in file LICENSE.
Installation
See the file INSTALL.adoc for installation instructions on machines running Unix, Linux, OS X and Cygwin. For native Microsoft Windows, see README.win32.adoc.
Documentation
The OCaml manual is distributed in HTML, PDF, and Emacs Info files. It is available at
Availability
The complete OCaml distribution can be accessed at
Keeping in Touch with the Caml Community
The OCaml mailing list is the longest-running forum for OCaml users. You can email it at
You can subscribe and access list archives via the Web interface at
An alternative archive of the mailing list is also available at
You can also access a newer discussion forum at
There also exist other mailing lists, chat channels, and various other forums around the internet for getting in touch with the OCaml and ML family language community. These can be accessed at
In particular, the IRC channel #ocaml on Freenode has a
long history and welcomes questions.
Bug Reports and User Feedback
Please report bugs using the issue tracker at https://github.com/ocaml/ocaml/issues
To be effective, bug reports should include a complete program (preferably small) that exhibits the unexpected behavior, and the configuration you are using (machine type, etc).
For information on contributing to OCaml, see HACKING.adoc and CONTRIBUTING.md.
Separately maintained components
Some libraries and tools which used to be part of the OCaml distribution are now maintained separately. Please use the issue trackers at their respective new homes:
-
The Graphics library (removed in OCaml 4.09)
-
The Num library (removed in OCaml 4.06)
-
The OCamlbuild tool (removed in OCaml 4.03)
-
The camlp4 tool (removed in OCaml 4.02)
-
The LablTk library (removed in OCaml 4.02)
-
The CamlDBM library (removed in OCaml 4.00)
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The OCamlWinTop Windows toplevel (removed in OCaml 4.00)