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The default command compiles and executes JavaScript or TypeScript files using Porffor’s AOT compiler.

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Usage

porf [flags] path/to/script.js [...args]
You can optionally use the explicit run command: 
porf run [flags] path/to/script.js [...args]

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Examples

porf script.js

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Execution Options

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--no-run
flag
Compile without executing (useful for checking compilation errors)
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-e, --eval
string
Evaluate JavaScript expression instead of reading from file
porf -e "console.log('Hello, World!')"
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-p, --print
string
Evaluate expression and print the result
porf -p "2 + 2"  # Outputs: 4
porf -p "Math.sqrt(16)"  # Outputs: 4

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Source Options

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path/to/script.js
string
required
Path to JavaScript or TypeScript file to execute
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https://...
string
URL to JavaScript file (HTTPS only)
porf https://example.com/script.js

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Performance Flags

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-t
flag
Display timing information after executionShows:
  • Total compilation + execution time
  • Execution time only
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-b
flag
Display compiled Wasm binary size
porf -b script.js
# Outputs: wasm size: 1234 bytes

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Common Flags

All global flags are supported:
  • -On: Optimization level
  • -d: Debug mode
  • --module: Parse as ES module
  • --parse-types: Enable TypeScript parsing
  • --opt-types: Use type hints for optimization

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Output Examples

$ porf hello.js
Hello, World!

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Script Arguments

Pass arguments to your script after the filename: 
porf script.js arg1 arg2 --flag value
Access them in your code via process.argv:
script.js
// process.argv[0] is 'porf'
// process.argv[1] is 'script.js'
// process.argv[2] is 'arg1'
console.log(process.argv.slice(2));

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Error Handling

Errors are displayed differently based on debug mode: 
$ porf script.js
ReferenceError: foo is not defined

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TypeScript Support

porf -t script.ts
Porffor parses TypeScript syntax but does not perform type checking. Type annotations can be used as optimization hints with --opt-types.

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Module Support

Parse file as ES module: 
porf --module script.js

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Remote Execution

Execute JavaScript from HTTPS URLs: 
porf https://example.com/script.js
Only HTTPS URLs are supported for security. The script is downloaded and executed without confirmation.

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Performance Tips

  1. Use optimization flags: -O2 or -O3 for better runtime performance
  2. Enable type hints: --opt-types with TypeScript annotations
  3. Profile first: Use porf profile to identify bottlenecks
  4. Consider native: For maximum performance, compile to native binary

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Limitations

Current limitations when running JavaScript:
  • Limited async support (Promise and await have known bugs)
  • No variables between scopes (except args and globals)
  • No eval() or Function() (AOT compilation)
  • Limited standard library support

Profile

Analyze performance bottlenecks

Debug

Interactive debugging

Wasm

Compile to WebAssembly

Native

Compile to native binary

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