WinExeLua - Lua to EXE Compiler

A C-based compiler that converts Lua source files into standalone Windows executable files.

help us

I published this repository (which still doesn't work properly) for you to fix it, improve it, and turn it into the best Lua compiler on the market 😁

Features

• Compile Lua scripts to standalone Windows EXE files
• Embed Lua runtime directly in the executable
• Simple command-line interface
• Support for Lua 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4
• Cross-platform compilation
• Minimal dependencies

Building

Prerequisites

• GCC or Clang compiler
• Make or CMake
• Windows SDK (for Windows development)

Build Instructions

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make

Or using Visual Studio:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 16 2019"
cmake --build . --config Release

Usage

winexelua input.lua -o output.exe

Options

• -o, --output <file> : Output executable filename
• -i, --icon <file> : Custom application icon (ICO format)
• -v, --version <ver> : Application version string
• -c, --console : Enable console window
• -h, --help : Display help message

Example

winexelua hello.lua -o hello.exe -c

This will compile hello.lua to hello.exe with a console window.

Project Structure

.
├── CMakeLists.txt          # CMake build configuration
├── README.md              # This file
├── src/
│   ├── main.c            # Main entry point
│   ├── compiler.c        # Compiler logic
│   ├── embedder.c        # Executable embedder
│   └── utils.c           # Utility functions
├── include/
│   ├── compiler.h        # Compiler header
│   ├── embedder.h        # Embedder header
│   └── utils.h           # Utilities header
├── lua/
│   ├── lua.h             # Lua header
│   ├── lauxlib.h         # Lua auxiliary library
│   └── lualib.h          # Lua standard library
└── examples/
    ├── hello.lua         # Hello world example
    └── calculator.lua    # Simple calculator example

How It Works

1. Parsing: Reads the Lua source file
2. Embedding: Embeds the Lua code as a resource in a template executable
3. Compilation: Compiles the template with embedded code
4. Linking: Links against Lua runtime library
5. Output: Produces standalone EXE file

License

MIT License