---
visibility: public
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# Lua

**repo:** [LewisJEllis/awesome-lua](https://github.com/LewisJEllis/awesome-lua)  
**category:** [[programming-languages|Programming Languages]]
**related:** [[ruby|Ruby]] · [[perl|Perl]] · [[python|Python]]

---

# Awesome Lua [![Awesome](https://cdn.rawgit.com/sindresorhus/awesome/d7305f38d29fed78fa85652e3a63e154dd8e8829/media/badge.svg)](https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome)

> A curated list of quality Lua [packages](#packages) and [resources](#resources).

Inspired by the lists [awesome](https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome), [awesome-awesomeness](https://github.com/bayandin/awesome-awesomeness), and [awesome-nodejs](https://github.com/sindresorhus/awesome-nodejs).

## Packages
- [Implementations, Interpreters, and Bindings](#implementations-interpreters-and-bindings)
- [Package Managers](#package-managers)
- [Build Tools and Standalone Makers](#build-tools-and-standalone-makers)
- [Debugging and Profiling](#debugging-and-profiling)
- [IDEs and Plugins](#ides-and-plugins)
- [Utility Belts](#utility-belts)
- [Game Engines](#game-engines)
- [Game Development](#game-development)
- [Logging](#logging)
- [Web/Networking Platforms](#webnetworking-platforms)
- [OpenResty](#openresty)
- [Command-line Utilities](#command-line-utilities)
- [Concurrency and Multithreading](#concurrency-and-multithreading)
- [Templating](#templating)
- [Documentation](#documentation)
- [Object-oriented Programming](#object-oriented-programming)
- [File system and OS](#file-system-and-os)
- [Time and Date](#time-and-date)
- [Image Manipulation](#image-manipulation)
- [Digital Signal Processing](#digital-signal-processing)
- [Hardware and Embedded Systems](###hardware-and-embedded-systems)
- [Math and Scientific Computing](#[math](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/math)-and-scientific-computing)
- [Parsing and Serialization](#parsing-and-serialization)
- [Humanize](#humanize)
- [Compression](#compression)
- [Cryptography](#cryptography)
- [Network](#network)
- [Data Stores](#data-stores)
- [Message Brokers](#message-brokers)
- [Testing](#testing)
- [Foreign Function Interfaces](#foreign-function-interfaces)
- [Analysis Tools and ASTs](#analysis-tools-and-asts)
- [Experimental, etc](#experimental-etc)
- [Scriptable by Lua](#[scriptable](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/scriptable)-by-lua)
- [Miscellaneous](#miscellaneous)

## Resources
- [Community](#community)
- [References](#references)
- [Style Guides](#style-guides)
- [Tutorials](#tutorials)
- [Articles](#articles)
- [Talks & Slides](#[talks](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/talks)--slides)
- [Books](#books)
- [Other Lists](#other-lists)

### Implementations, Interpreters, and Bindings
- [Lua](http://www.lua.org/download.html) - Lua's original ANSI C interpreter.
  - [Lua Repo](https://github.com/lua/lua) - The official Lua repo, as seen by the Lua team, mirrored to [GitHub](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).
- [LuaJIT](http://luajit.org/luajit.html) - High-performance Just-In-Time compiler for Lua.
- [LLVM-Lua](https://github.com/neopallium/llvm-lua) - Compiles Lua to LLVM.
- [lua.vm.js](https://github.com/daurnimator/lua.vm.js) - Lua VM on the web; a direct port of the C interpreter via LLVM, emscripten, and asm.js.
- [Moonshine](https://github.com/gamesys/moonshine) - A Lua VM implemented in [JavaScript](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/javascript). Slower than lua.vm.js, but with better docs, examples, and JS interfacing.
- [Fengari](https://fengari.io/) - The Lua VM rewritten in [Javascript](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/javascript) with seamless JS and DOM interoperability.
- [MoonSharp](https://github.com/xanathar/moonsharp) - A Lua interpreter written entirely in C# for the .NET, Mono and [Unity](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/unity) platforms.
- [UniLua](https://github.com/xebecnan/UniLua) - A pure C# implementation of Lua 5.2, focused on compatibility with the [Unity](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/unity) game engine.
- [lupa](https://github.com/scoder/lupa) - [Python](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/python) bindings to LuaJIT2.
- [golua](https://github.com/aarzilli/golua) - Golang bindings to the Lua C API.
- [GopherLua](https://github.com/yuin/gopher-lua) - Lua 5.1 VM and compiler implemented in Go with Go APIs.
- [LuaBridge](https://github.com/vinniefalco/LuaBridge) - A lightweight library for mapping data, functions, and classes back and forth between C++ and Lua.

Note: From LuaJIT to Lua to lua.vm.js to Moonshine, a basic benchmark sees performance drop by roughly a factor of 6 with each hop.

### Package Managers
- [LuaRocks](https://luarocks.org/) - De-facto tool for installing Lua modules as packages called "rocks", plus public rock repository and website.  Much like npm or pip.

### Build Tools and Standalone Makers
- [Lake](https://github.com/stevedonovan/Lake) - A build engine written in Lua, similar to [Ruby](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/ruby)'s rake.
- [Luabuild](https://github.com/stevedonovan/luabuild) - Highly customizable Lua 5.2 build system.
- [luastatic](https://github.com/ers35/luastatic) - Simple tool for turning Lua programs into standalone executables.
- [omnia](https://github.com/tongson/omnia) - A batteries-included creator of standalone executables, built on top of luastatic.

### Debugging and Profiling
- [ProFi](https://gist.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).com/perky/2838755) - Simple profiler that works with LuaJIT and produces a report file.
- [luatrace](https://github.com/geoffleyland/luatrace) - Toolset for tracing/analyzing/profiling script execution and generating detailed reports.
- [StackTracePlus](https://github.com/ignacio/StackTracePlus) - Drop-in upgrade to Lua's stack traces which adds local context and improves readability.
- [MobDebug](https://github.com/pkulchenko/MobDebug) - Powerful remote debugger with breakpoints and stack inspection. Used by ZeroBraneStudio.
- [lovebird](https://github.com/rxi/lovebird) - Browser-based debug console. Originally made for [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve), but works in any project with LuaSocket support.

### IDEs and Plugins
- [Lua Development Tools](https://eclipse.org/ldt/) - Eclipse plugin which provides code completion, debugging, and more. Built on Metalua.
- [Lua for IDEA](https://bitbucket.org/sylvanaar2/lua-for-idea/wiki/Home) - IntelliJ IDEA plugin which, among other things, provides code completion, smart highlighting, and experimental debugging.
- [ZeroBraneStudio](https://studio.zerobrane.com/) - Lightweight, customizable, [cross-platform](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/cross-platform) Lua-dedicated IDE with code completion and analysis, written in Lua. Has broad debugging support for numerous Lua engines.
- [BabeLua](https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=babelua) - Lua editor/debugger extension for VS2012-13 with highlighting, auto-completion, linting, and formatting capabilities.
- [lua-mode](https://github.com/immerrr/lua-mode) - [Emacs](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/editors/emacs) major mode for editing Lua.
- [vscode-lua](https://github.com/trixnz/vscode-lua) - VSCode intellisense and linting.

### Utility Belts
- [Lua Fun](https://github.com/luafun/luafun) - High-performance [functional programming](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/functional-programming) library designed for LuaJIT.
- [Moses](https://github.com/Yonaba/Moses) - [Functional programming](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/functional-programming) utility belt, inspired by Underscore.js.
- [Penlight](https://github.com/stevedonovan/Penlight) - Broad, heavyweight utility library, inspired by [Python](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/python)'s standard libs. Provides the batteries that Lua doesn't.
- [lua-stdlib](https://github.com/lua-stdlib/lua-stdlib) - Middle-weight standard library extension; adds some useful data structures, utility functions, and basic functional stuff.
- [Microlight](https://github.com/stevedonovan/Microlight) - A little library of useful Lua functions; the 'extra light' version of Penlight.
- [compat53](https://luarocks.org/modules/siffiejoe/compat53) - Compatibility module providing Lua-5.3-style APIs for Lua 5.2 and 5.1.
- [RxLua](https://github.com/bjornbytes/RxLua) - Reactive Extensions, [Observables](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/observables), etc.

### Game Engines
- [LÖVE 2D](http://love2d.org/) - Desktop [game development](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/game-development) platform. [Cross-platform](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/cross-platform), feature-complete, well-adopted.
- [Corona SDK](https://coronalabs.com/) - Development platform for iOS and [Android](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/android). Proprietary, but used by numerous top games and [apps](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/apps), totaling over 150 million downloads.
- [MOAI](http://getmoai.com/) - Open source, [cross-platform](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/cross-platform), mobile [game development](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/game-development) framework. Minimalist C++ engine powered by Lua scripting.
- [Drystal](https://drystal.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/) - Open source, games can run on [Linux](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/linux) or on any platform with a recent web browser.
- [Amulet](http://www.amulet.xyz/) - Open source, audio/visual toolkit suitable for small games and experimentation. It runs on [Windows](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/windows), Mac, [Linux](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/linux), [HTML5](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/front-end-development/html5) and iOS.
- [LÖVR](https://lovr.org) - 3D framework for creating virtual reality experiences, inspired by [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve) 2D.

### Game Development
- Corona
  - [Coronium](https://develephant.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/coronium-[core](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/core)-docs/) - Simple cloud platform supporting [analytics](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/analytics), data objects, user management, and more.
- [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve)
  - [awesome-love2d](https://github.com/love2d-community/awesome-love2d) - A list like this one, but focused on game dev and the [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve) platform.
  - [lurker](https://github.com/rxi/lurker) - Shortens the iteration cycle by auto-swapping changed Lua files in a running [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve) project.
  - [HUMP](http://vrld.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/hump/) - A set of lightweight helpers for [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve); a game-oriented utility belt.
- MOAI
  - [moaifiddle](https://moaifiddle.com) - Edit and share short scripts for the MOAI game engine and run them in the browser using [WebGL](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/front-end-development/webgl).
- [Jumper](https://github.com/Yonaba/Jumper) - Fast, lightweight, and easy-to-use pathfinding library for grid-based games.
- [lume](https://github.com/rxi/lume/) - Utility belt library geared toward [game development](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/game-development).
- [NoobHub](https://github.com/Overtorment/NoobHub) - Network multiplayer for Corona, [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve), and more, following a simple pub-sub model.
- Collision detection
  - [bump.lua](https://github.com/kikito/bump.lua) - Minimal rectangle-based collision detection which handles tunnelling and basic collision resolution.
  - [HardonCollider](http://vrld.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/HardonCollider/) - Detect collisions between arbitrarily positioned and rotated shapes of any type.
- Tweening
  - [flux](https://github.com/rxi/flux) - A fast, lightweight tweening library for Lua with easing functions and the ability to group tweens together.
  - [tween.lua](https://github.com/kikito/tween.lua) - Small library for tweening, with several easing functions.
- Examples
  - [termtris](https://github.com/tylerneylon/termtris) - A tetris clone, written in literate style with "an emphasis on learn-from-ability".
  - [PacPac](https://github.com/tylerneylon/pacpac) - A Pac-man clone, made with [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve).
  - [Mari0](https://github.com/Stabyourself/mari0) - Fusion of Mario and Portal, made with [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve). See also its [wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mari0).
  - [Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne](https://github.com/hawkthorne/hawkthorne-journey) - 2D platformer based on Community's [Digital Estate Planning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Estate_Planning) episode, made with [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve).

### Logging
- [lua-log](https://github.com/moteus/lua-log) - Asynchronous logging library with pluggable writers for file system, network, ZeroMQ, and more.
- [LuaLogging](https://github.com/Neopallium/lualogging) - Log4j-inspired logging library supporting various appenders.
- [luasyslog](https://luarocks.org/modules/luarocks/luasyslog) - Log to syslog, based on LuaLogging.

### Web/Networking Platforms
- [OpenResty](http://openresty.org/en/) - A fast and scalable web application platform created by extending [Nginx](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/back-end-development/nginx) with Lua. Today's de-facto Lua web platform, used heavily by [Cloudflare](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/cloudflare), Taobao, Tencent, and others.
- [turbo](https://turbo.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) - Event-driven, non-blocking, LuaJIT-based networking suite and framework, inspired by Tornado.
- [Kepler Project](https://github.com/keplerproject) - A collection of web-oriented projects using a common set of [standards](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/standards) and components.
- [Pegasus.lua](https://github.com/EvandroLG/pegasus.lua) - Pegasus.lua is a http server to work with web applications written in Lua language.

### OpenResty
- [awesome-resty](https://github.com/bungle/awesome-resty) - A list like this one, but focused on OpenResty.
- [Core](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/core) platform
  - [ngx_lua](https://www.[nginx](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/back-end-development/nginx).com/resources/wiki/modules/lua/) - The [core](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/core) piece of OpenResty. Embeds Lua in [Nginx](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/back-end-development/nginx) and exposes, among other things, the cosocket API for non-blocking sockets (compatible with LuaSocket's API).
  - [OpenResty [GitHub](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github) Organization](https://github.com/openresty) - Home of the repositories for ngx_lua, ngx_openresty, and many related modules.
- Third-party modules
  - [lua-resty-http](https://github.com/pintsized/lua-resty-http) - Lua HTTP client driver, built on the cosocket API.
- [Frameworks](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/front-end-development/frameworks) & tools
  - [Lapis](http://leafo.net/lapis/) - Full-stack framework for Lua and OpenResty. Like the Django or [Rails](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/back-end-development/rails) of Lua. Supports Moonscript.
  - [ledge](https://github.com/pintsized/ledge) - Lua module providing [scriptable](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/scriptable), RFC-compliant HTTP cache functionality.
  - [Sailor](https://github.com/sailorproject/sailor) — An MVC web framework compatible with OpenResty, Apache and other webservers.
  - [Kong](https://github.com/Kong/kong) - Microservice & API Management Layer.

Search this page for 'OpenResty' to find related packages under other categories (data stores in particular).

### Command-line Utilities
- [ansicolors](https://github.com/kikito/ansicolors.lua) - Simple function for printing to the console in color.
- [cliargs](https://github.com/amireh/lua_cliargs) - A simple command-line argument parsing module.
- [lua-term](https://github.com/hoelzro/lua-term) - Terminal operations and manipulations.
- [argparse](https://github.com/mpeterv/argparse) - A feature-rich command line parser inspired by argparse for [Python](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/python).

### Concurrency and Multithreading
- Coroutine-based multitasking:
  - [Lumen](https://github.com/xopxe/Lumen) - Simple concurrent task scheduling.
  - [ConcurrentLua](https://github.com/lefcha/concurrentlua) - Implements an [Erlang](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/erlang)-style message-passing concurrency model.
  - [cqueues](http://25thandclement.com/~william/projects/cqueues.html) - Library for managing sockets, signals, and threads based on an event loop with coroutines.
- Multithreading:
  - [llthreads](https://github.com/Neopallium/lua-llthreads) - A simple wrapper for low-level pthreads & WIN32 threads.
  - [llthreads2](https://github.com/moteus/lua-llthreads2) - Newer rewrite of llthreads.
  - [lanes](https://github.com/LuaLanes/lanes) - Library implementing a message passing model with one OS thread per Lua thread.
  - [luaproc](https://github.com/askyrme/luaproc) - Message-passing model which allows multiple threads per OS thread and easily generalizes across a network. See also [the paper](http://www.inf.puc-rio.br/~roberto/docs/ry08-05.pdf) where it originated.

For more on the differences (particularly between `lanes` and `luaproc`), see this [comparison](http://www.luteus.biz/Download/LoriotPro_Doc/LUA/LUA_For_Windows/lanes/comparison.html) of options; somewhat dated, but covers how each one works and the significant differences.

### Templating
- [lustache](http://olivinelabs.com/lustache/) - Mustache template implementation.
- [etlua](https://github.com/leafo/etlua) - Embedded Lua templates, ERB-style.
- [lua-resty-template](https://github.com/bungle/lua-resty-template) - Lua-oriented template engine for OpenResty, somewhat Jinja-like.

### Documentation
- [LDoc](http://stevedonovan.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/ldoc/) - Documentation generator which modernizes and extends [LuaDoc](http://keplerproject.github.io/luadoc/).
- [Locco](http://rgieseke.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/locco/) - Lua port of [Docco](http://ashkenas.com/docco/), the "quick-and-dirty, hundred-line-long, literate-programming-style documentation generator".
- [docroc](https://github.com/bjornbytes/docroc) - Parse comments into a Lua table to generate documentation.

### Object-oriented Programming
- [30log](https://github.com/Yonaba/30log) - Minimalist OOP library with basic classes, inheritance, and mixins in 30 lines.
- [middleclass](https://github.com/kikito/middleclass) - Simple but robust OOP library with inheritance, methods, metamethods, class variables and mixins.

### File system and OS
- [LuaFileSystem](http://keplerproject.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/luafilesystem/) - Extends and complements Lua's built-in set of file system functions.
- [luaposix](https://github.com/luaposix/luaposix) - Bindings for POSIX APIs, including curses.
- [lunix](http://25thandclement.com/~william/projects/lunix.html) - Bindings to common Unix system APIs, striving for thread-safety.
- [lua-path](https://github.com/moteus/lua-path) - File system path manipulation library.

### Time and Date
- [LuaDate](https://github.com/Tieske/date) - Date and time module with parsing, formatting, addition/subtraction, localization, and ISO 8601 support.
- [cron.lua](https://github.com/kikito/cron.lua) - Time-related functions for Lua, inspired by [JavaScript](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/javascript)'s setTimeout and setInterval.
- [luatx](https://github.com/daurnimator/luatz) - Time, date, and timezone library.

### Image Manipulation
- [magick](https://github.com/leafo/magick) - Lua bindings to ImageMagick for LuaJIT using FFI.

### Digital Signal Processing
- [LuaFFT](https://github.com/h4rm/luafft) - An easy to use Fast Fourier Transformation package in pure Lua.
- [Worp](http://worp.zevv.nl/about.html) - Sound/[music](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/media/music)/DSP engine written for LuaJIT.

### Hardware and Embedded Systems
- [eLua](http://www.eluaproject.net/) - Lua, extended with optimizations and specific features for efficient and portable embedded software development.

### Math and Scientific Computing
- [SciLua](http://scilua.org/) - Numerical/[scientific computing](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/scientific-computing) framework built on LuaJIT, with an interface to R.
- [Torch7](http://torch.ch/) - [Scientific computing](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/scientific-computing) framework with wide support for [machine learning](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/computer-science/machine-learning) [algorithms](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/algorithms), used by Facebook, Google, and more.
- [lhf's Lua Tools](http://webserver2.tecgraf.puc-rio.br/~lhf/ftp/lua/) - Assorted libraries and tools, many [math](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/math)- or data-related.

### Parsing and Serialization
- [JSON](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/json)
  - [lua-cjson](https://github.com/mpx/lua-cjson/) - Blazing fast [JSON](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/json) encoding/decoding implemented in C and exposed to Lua.
  - [luajson](https://github.com/harningt/luajson) - [JSON](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/json) encoder/decoder implemented in Lua on top of LPeg.
  - [dkjson](http://dkolf.de/src/dkjson-lua.fsl/home) - [JSON](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/json) encoder/decoder implemented in pure Lua.
  - [json.lua](https://github.com/rxi/json.lua) - A fast and tiny [JSON](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/json) library in pure Lua.
- XML
  - [LuaExpat](https://matthewwild.co.uk/projects/luaexpat/) - SAX XML parser via binding to the Expat library.
  - [SLAXML](https://github.com/Phrogz/SLAXML) - Pure Lua SAX-like [streaming](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/big-data/streaming) XML parser.
- MessagePack
  - [lua-MessagePack](https://github.com/fperrad/lua-MessagePack) - Pure Lua implementation of MessagePack.
  - [lua-cmsgpack](https://github.com/antirez/lua-cmsgpack) - A MessagePack C implementation with Lua bindings, as used by Redis.=
- LPeg
  - [LPeg](http://www.inf.puc-rio.br/~roberto/lpeg/) - A pattern-matching library for Lua, based on Parsing Expression Grammars.
  - [lpeg_patterns](https://github.com/daurnimator/lpeg_patterns) - A collection of LPeg patterns.
  - [LuLPeg](https://github.com/pygy/LuLPeg) - A pure Lua implementation of LPeg v0.12.
  - [LPegLJ](https://github.com/sacek/LPegLJ) - A pure LuaJIT implementation of LPeg v1.0.
  - [LPegLabel](https://github.com/sqmedeiros/lpeglabel) - An extension of LPeg adding support for labeled failures.
- [lyaml](https://github.com/gvvaughan/lyaml) - YAML encoding/decoding via binding to LibYAML.
- [lunamark](https://github.com/jgm/lunamark) - Converts [Markdown](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/markdown) to other textual formats including HTML and [LaTeX](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/latex). Uses LPeg for fast parsing.
- [LXSH](https://github.com/xolox/lua-lxsh) - A collection of lexers and syntax highlighters written with LPeg.
- [lua-pb](https://github.com/Neopallium/lua-pb) - Protocol Buffers implementation.

### Humanize
- [i18n.lua](https://github.com/kikito/i18n.lua) - Internationalization library with locales, formatting, and pluralization.
- [inspect.lua](https://github.com/kikito/inspect.lua) - Human-readable representation of Lua tables.
- [serpent](https://github.com/pkulchenko/serpent) - Serializer and pretty printer.
- [Ser](https://github.com/gvx/Ser) - Dead simple serializer with good performance.
- [say](https://github.com/Olivine-Labs/say) - Simple string key-value store for i18n.

### Compression
- [lua-zlib](https://github.com/brimworks/lua-zlib) - Simple [streaming](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/big-data/streaming) interface to zlib for gzip/gunzip.
- [lua-zip](https://github.com/brimworks/lua-zip) - Lua binding to libzip. Reads and writes zip files.

### Cryptography
- [LuaCrypto](https://github.com/mkottman/luacrypto) - Lua bindings to OpenSSL.
- [lua-lockbox](https://github.com/somesocks/lua-lockbox) - A collection of cryptographic primitives written in pure Lua.
- [luatweetnacl](https://github.com/philanc/luatweetnacl) - Bindings to tweetnacl, modern high-[security](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/security/security) cryptographic library.
- [luaossl](https://github.com/wahern/luaossl) - "Most comprehensive OpenSSL module in the Lua universe" - used by lapis, kong, and lua-http.

### Network
- [LuaSocket](https://github.com/diegonehab/luasocket) - Networking extension which provides a socket API for TCP and UDP, and implements HTTP, FTP, and SMTP.
- [lua-websockets](https://github.com/lipp/lua-websockets) - WebSocket client and server modules. Webserver-agnostic, implemented in Lua on top of LuaSocket.
- [lua-cURLv3](https://github.com/Lua-cURL/Lua-cURLv3) - Lua binding to libcurl.
- [lua-http](https://github.com/daurnimator/lua-http) - Asynchronous HTTP and WebSocket library with client and server APIs, TLS, and HTTP/2; based on cqueues.

### Data Stores
- [LuaSQL](http://keplerproject.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/luasql/) - Simple interface for connecting to ODBC, ADO, Oracle, [MySQL](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/databases/mysql), SQLite and [PostgreSQL](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/databases/postgresql).
- [pgmoon](https://github.com/leafo/pgmoon) - Lua [PostgreSQL](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/databases/postgresql) driver for OpenResty, LuaSocket, and cqueues.
- [lua-resty-mysql](https://github.com/openresty/lua-resty-mysql) - Lua [MySQL](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/databases/mysql) driver for OpenResty.
- [lua-resty-cassandra](https://github.com/jbochi/lua-resty-cassandra) - Lua [Cassandra](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/databases/cassandra) client driver for OpenResty and others.
- Redis
  - [redis-lua](https://github.com/nrk/redis-lua) - Pure Lua client library for Redis.
  - [lua-resty-redis](https://github.com/openresty/lua-resty-redis) - Lua Redis client driver for OpenResty.
  - [lredis](https://github.com/daurnimator/lredis) - Asynchronous Redis client with pipelining and Pub/Sub support; based on cqueues.

### Message Brokers
- [lua-zmq](https://github.com/Neopallium/lua-zmq) - Lua bindings to ZeroMQ.
- [lzmq](https://github.com/zeromq/lzmq) - A newer Lua binding to ZeroMQ.
- [lua-resty-kafka](https://github.com/doujiang24/lua-resty-kafka) - Kafka client driver based on OpenResty cosockets.
- [lua-resty-rabbitmqstomp](https://github.com/wingify/lua-resty-rabbitmqstomp) - RabbitMQ client library based on OpenResty cosockets.

### Testing
- [busted](http://olivinelabs.com/busted/) - BDD-style unit [testing](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/testing/testing) framework with great docs and Moonscript support.
- [telescope](https://github.com/norman/telescope) - Flexible and highly customizable [testing](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/testing/testing) library.
- [luassert](https://github.com/Olivine-Labs/luassert) - Assertion library extending Lua's built-in assertions.
- [lust](https://github.com/bjornbytes/lust) - Minimal test framework.

### Foreign Function Interfaces
- [LuaJIT FFI](http://luajit.org/ext_ffi.html) - LuaJIT's mechanism for calling external C functions and using C data structures from pure Lua code.
- [luaffi](https://github.com/jmckaskill/luaffi) - Standalone FFI library, compatible with the LuaJIT FFI interface.

### Analysis Tools and ASTs
- [luadec51](https://github.com/sztupy/luadec51) - Lua Decompiler for Lua version 5.1.
- [luacov](http://keplerproject.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/luacov/) - Simple coverage analyzer, used by busted and telescope for checking test coverage.
  - [luacov-coveralls](https://github.com/moteus/luacov-coveralls) - LuaCov reporter for coveralls.io.
- [luacheck](https://github.com/mpeterv/luacheck) - Simple static analyzer which detects accidental globals and undefined or shadowed locals.
- [Metalua](https://github.com/fab13n/metalua) - Pure Lua parser and compiler, used for generating ASTs. A number of other tools make use of the Metalua parser in this way.
- [LuaInspect](https://github.com/davidm/lua-inspect) - Lua's most powerful code analysis and linting tool, built on Metalua. Used by ZeroBraneStudio, among others.
- [LuaMinify](https://github.com/stravant/LuaMinify) - Minifier which also brings its own static analysis tools, lexer, and parser.
- [Typed Lua](https://github.com/andremm/typedlua) - A typed superset of Lua that compiles to plain Lua.
- [lua-parser](https://github.com/andremm/lua-parser) - A Lua 5.3 parser written using LPegLabel, with improved error messages.

### Experimental, etc
- [punchdrunk.js](https://github.com/TannerRogalsky/punchdrunk) - Moonshine + [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve) API reimplementation = run LÖVE games in the browser.
- [luvit](https://github.com/luvit/luvit) - [Node.js](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/node-js)'s underlying architecture (libUV) with Lua on top instead of [JavaScript](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/javascript).
- [graphql-lua](https://github.com/bjornbytes/graphql-lua) - Lua implementation of [GraphQL](http://graphql.org/).

### Scriptable by Lua
- [luakit](https://luakit.[github](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/development-environment/github).io/luakit/) - Fast, small, webkit based browser framework extensible by Lua.
- [Hammerspoon](http://www.hammerspoon.org) - A powerful, extensible OS X automation tool. A community-maintained fork of [Mjolnir](http://www.mjolnir.io/).
- [kpie](https://github.com/skx/kpie) - A scripting utility to juggle [windows](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/windows).
- [lumail](https://lumail.org/) - A console-based mail client, with extensive scripting capabilities.
- [AwesomeWM](https://awesomewm.org/) - A highly configurable and extensible window manager for X, scripted and configured by Lua.
- [Textadept](https://foicica.com/textadept/) - Extremely lightweight, customizable, [cross-platform](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/cross-platform) editor, written (mostly) in (and scripted by) Lua.
- [KoReader](https://github.com/koreader/koreader) - An ebook reader application supports PDF, DJVU, EPUB, FB2 and much more, running on Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook and [Android](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/platforms/android) devices.

### Miscellaneous
- [MoonScript](http://moonscript.org/) - Moonscript is a dynamic scripting language that compiles to Lua. It reduces verbosity and provides a rich set of features like comprehensions and classes. Its author calls it 'CoffeeScript for Lua'.
- [sitegen](http://leafo.net/sitegen/) - A static site generator which uses MoonScript and supports HTML and [Markdown](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/markdown), page grouping, and plugins.

## Resources

### Community
- [lua-l](http://www.lua.org/lua-l.html) - The official Lua mailing list, and one of the focal points of the Lua community.
- [Lua.Space](http://lua.space/) - The Lua community blog.
- [Lua Users Foundation](https://github.com/lua-users-foundation) - An association of individuals with the mission of supporting and promoting Lua and its community and ecosystems.
- [lua-users.org](http://lua-users.org/) - A site for and by users of Lua, featuring an IRC channel, a web archive of lua-l, and a large wiki.
- Conferences/Meetups
  - [Lua Workshop](https://www.lua.org/community.html#workshop) - Annual 2-day meeting of the Lua community, in rotating locations.
  - [Lua Conf](http://luaconf.com/) - Annual 1-day Lua conference in Brazil.
  - [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/) - Annual 2-day gathering of F/OSS developers in Brussels which sometimes has a "Lua devroom".

### References
- [Reference Manual](http://www.lua.org/manual/5.3/) - The official definition of the Lua language.
- [lua-users wiki](http://lua-users.org/wiki/) - A large community-maintained collection of Lua information and resources, supplementing the official website.
- [Lua Unofficial FAQ](http://www.luafaq.org/) - [Answers](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/miscellaneous/answers) all sorts of Lua-related questions, including many of the form 'How to ___?'.

### Glossaries
- [Lua 5.3 Glossary](https://rawgit.com/dlaurie/lua-notes/master/glossary.html) - A glossary of some essential Lua terms.

### Style Guides
- [Lua-users style guide](http://lua-users.org/wiki/LuaStyleGuide) - A general, high-level style guide; unopinionated, easily agreed on.
- [Olivine style guide](https://github.com/Olivine-Labs/lua-style-guide) - A more opinionated and specific, and therefore more rigorous, guide.

### Tutorials
- [Lua Crash Course](http://www.coppeliarobotics.com/helpFiles/en/luaCrashCourse.htm) - Short crash course readover, or reference for when you forget the basics.
- [Learn Lua in 15 Minutes](http://tylerneylon.com/a/learn-lua/) - A well-commented example file which covers the basics.
- [Learning Lua from JS](http://phrogz.net/lua/LearningLua_FromJS.html) - An overview of the similarities and differences between Lua and JS; a great start for [JavaScript](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/programming-languages/javascript) folks looking to pick up Lua.
- [lua-users tutorial](http://lua-users.org/wiki/LuaTutorial) - In-depth collection of [tutorials](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/computer-science/tutorials) aimed at newcomers.
- [Lua Missions](https://github.com/kikito/lua_missions) - A series of 'Missions' to work through which are designed to teach aspects of Lua along the way.
- [Creating an Image Server](http://leafo.net/posts/creating_an_image_server.html) - Walks through setting up and using OpenResty to build a simple image processing server; a great starting point for playing with OpenResty.

### Articles
- [Embedding Lua in C](https://debian-administration.org/article/264/Embedding_a_scripting_language_inside_your_C/C_code) - An introductory walkthrough of embedding Lua in a C program. A bit dated, but still a great walkthrough.
- [Lua: Good, bad, and ugly parts](http://notebook.kulchenko.com/programming/lua-good-different-bad-and-ugly-parts) - A thorough summary of the good, different, bad, and ugly aspects of Lua, including many subtle quirks, by the author of ZeroBraneStudio.
- [Lua states, libraries, coroutines and memory](http://www.thijsschreijer.nl/blog/?p=693) - Diagrams and explains some more advanced concepts of the Lua VM, particularly when interfacing with C.

### Talks & Slides
- [Roberto's Talks](http://www.inf.puc-rio.br/~roberto/talks/index.html) - History of [talks](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/talks) given by Lua's chief architect, with slides for each.
- [Lua Workshop Talks](http://www.lua.org/wshop14.html#abstracts) - High-quality [talks](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/theory/talks) are given at each ~annual Lua Workshop, and a history of them is online, slides included.

### Books
- [Programming in Lua](http://www.lua.org/pil/) - The authoritative intro to all aspects of Lua programming, written by Lua's chief architect. Three editions released; first edition available online.
- [Lua Quick Reference](https://foicica.com/lua/) - A quick reference on how to program in and embed Lua 5.1 through 5.3, by the creator of Textadept.
- [Programming Gems](http://www.lua.org/gems/) - A collection of articles covering existing wisdom and practices on programming well in Lua, in a broad variety of use cases.
- [Lua Programming](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Lua_Programming) - A shorter overview of the language, up to date for Lua 5.2, and available online.

### Other Lists
- [awesome-resty](https://github.com/bungle/awesome-resty) - A list like this one, but focused on OpenResty.
- [awesome-love2d](https://github.com/love2d-community/awesome-love2d) - A list like this one, but focused on game dev and the [LÖVE](/@harrisonqian/awesome/wiki/gaming/l-ve) platform.
- [Where Lua is Used](https://sites.google.com/site/marbux/home/where-lua-is-used) - A comprehensive list of stand-alone programs written in or extensible using Lua.

## Contribute

Contributions welcome and wanted! Read the [contribution guidelines](contributing.md) first.

## License

[![CC0](https://licensebuttons.net/p/zero/1.0/88x31.png)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

To the extent possible under law, Lewis Ellis has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.
