What is pike?

Pike is a high‑level, dynamic programming language that combines the simplicity of scripting languages with the power of compiled languages. It was created in the mid‑1990s at the University of Helsinki and is used mainly for building network services, web applications, and embedded systems. Pike’s syntax looks a lot like C, but it adds automatic memory management, built‑in support for strings, arrays, and objects, making it easier for beginners to write robust code.

Let's break it down

  • Syntax: Similar to C (curly braces, semicolons) but more forgiving; you don’t need to declare variable types explicitly.
  • Data types: Includes basic types (int, float, string) plus powerful containers like arrays, mappings (hash tables), and objects.
  • Memory management: Automatic garbage collection, so you don’t have to free memory manually.
  • Object‑oriented: Everything is an object; you can define classes, inherit, and override methods.
  • Standard library: Comes with modules for networking (TCP/UDP), file I/O, regular expressions, and more.
  • Interpreter/Compiler: You can run scripts directly with the Pike interpreter or compile them to native code for faster execution.

Why does it matter?

Pike lets developers write network‑centric programs quickly without sacrificing performance. Because it blends scripting ease with compiled speed, it’s a good stepping stone for people moving from beginner languages (like Python) to more complex systems programming. Its built‑in networking and concurrency features make it especially handy for servers, chat bots, and IoT devices where low latency matters.

Where is it used?

  • Web servers: The popular “Pike‑based” web server “Pike‑httpd” powers several small‑to‑medium sites.
  • Game servers: Some multiplayer game back‑ends use Pike for handling real‑time communication.
  • Embedded devices: Its small runtime makes it suitable for routers, smart appliances, and other IoT hardware.
  • Educational tools: Universities sometimes use Pike to teach concepts of networking and object‑oriented design because of its clear syntax.

Good things about it

  • Easy to read C‑like syntax, friendly for beginners.
  • Automatic garbage collection reduces memory bugs.
  • Strong built‑in support for networking and concurrency.
  • Portable: runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, and many embedded OSes.
  • Open source and free to use under a permissive license.
  • Can be interpreted for rapid development or compiled for high performance.

Not-so-good things

  • Smaller community compared to languages like Python or JavaScript, so fewer tutorials and third‑party libraries.
  • Limited modern tooling (IDE support, package managers) can make development feel dated.
  • Performance, while good, may still lag behind fully compiled languages like C or Rust for CPU‑intensive tasks.
  • Documentation is sometimes outdated, requiring extra effort to find current best practices.