OCaml

OCaml is a <a href="/facts/General-purpose_programming_language/LyA5zR3M">general-purpose</a>, <a href="/facts/High-level_programming_language/smjECUhx">high-level</a>, <a href="/facts/Comparison_of_multi-paradigm_programming_languages/ubIddUMB">multi-paradigm</a> <a href="/facts/Programming_language/cWTYbgWa">programming language</a> which extends the <a href="/facts/Caml/7PjL4H62">Caml</a> dialect of <a href="/facts/ML_(programming_language)/RfwxASRF">ML</a> with <a href="/facts/Object-oriented_programming/TxNMEcao">object-oriented</a> features. OCaml was created in 1996 by <a href="/facts/Xavier_Leroy/bkfT2DpR">Xavier Leroy</a>, Jérôme Vouillon, <a href="/facts/Damien_Doligez/GnMvCRq1">Damien Doligez</a>, Didier Rémy, Ascánder Suárez, and others.
The OCaml <a href="/facts/Toolchain/SmlWCJhY">toolchain</a> includes an interactive top-level <a href="/facts/Interpreter_(computing)/JB85fbyb">interpreter</a>, a <a href="/facts/Bytecode/EPkMFR7M">bytecode</a> <a href="/facts/Compiler/WNfCDFJe">compiler</a>, an optimizing <a href="/facts/Native_code/bgdQ1Fxf">native code</a> compiler, a reversible <a href="/facts/Debugger/mCe6UsWj">debugger</a>, and a <a href="/facts/Package_manager/kEX4kx7g">package manager</a> (<a href="https://opam.ocaml.org/packages/">OPAM</a>) together with a composable build system for OCaml (<a href="https://dune.build/">Dune</a>). OCaml was initially developed in the context of <a href="/facts/Automated_theorem_proving/vKGvuKFI">automated theorem proving</a>, and is used in <a href="/facts/Static_program_analysis/b56nr6QM">static analysis</a> and <a href="/facts/Formal_methods/tw4FCWIb">formal methods</a> software. Beyond these areas, it has found use in <a href="/facts/Systems_programming/urTteIsW">systems programming</a>, <a href="/facts/Web_development/UW5ypSzj">web development</a>, and specific financial utilities, among other application domains.
The acronym CAML originally stood for Categorical Abstract Machine Language, but OCaml omits this <a href="/facts/Abstract_machine/zuC4RKLn">abstract machine</a>. OCaml is a <a href="/facts/Free_and_open-source_software/1cHtjLCB">free and open-source software</a> project managed and principally maintained by the <a href="/facts/French_Institute_for_Research_in_Computer_Science_and_Automation/ruIkcapf">French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation</a> (Inria). In the early 2000s, elements from OCaml were adopted by many languages, notably <a href="/facts/F_Sharp_(programming_language)/jdXHnYz5">F#</a> and <a href="/facts/Scala_(programming_language)/ebL8o6AK">Scala</a>.

OCaml open-in-new

OCaml