jdBasic - A Persistent Experimental BASIC Environment

jdBasic is a modern BASIC interpreter built around a custom bytecode virtual machine with APL-style array programming, hot-reloadable code, a persistent REPL workspace, and first-class graphics, GUI, audio, networking, AI, and Godot-engine integration.

It combines the immediacy of classic BASIC with powerful built-in capabilities and a "stay in the session" philosophy - no constant restarts, no rebuild loops, just think and run.

Reduce friction between thinking and running code.

A match-3 game, a Godot RPG whose NPCs think with a local LLM, and the VS Code form designer - all scripted in jdBasic.

🎥 Train jdBasic is on YouTube - 14 video lessons covering everything from PRINT to native compilation, all auto-generated and voiced by jdBasic itself. Watch the playlist →

You can:

• explore ideas in a powerful interactive REPL
• save and restore entire sessions with SAVEWS / LOADWS
• write vectorized data pipelines using APL-inspired array operators
• prototype graphics, games, and tools with SDL3 + Dear ImGui
• embed in Godot 4 and script whole 3D games, tools, and visualizers in pure BASIC
• talk to local LLMs (llama.cpp) and run ONNX models inline
• pair-program with an AI agent: the built-in MCP server exposes a persistent VM that Claude Code, Cursor & Co. can run, inspect, and live-patch without restarting your program
• build automation tools, REST clients, and serial-device controllers
• extend the language with native modules

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Try jdBasic in your browser

jdbasic.org/live - no installation required.

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Watch the lessons

The Train jdBasic YouTube series walks through the language from "Hello, World" to native compilation - 14 episodes, 5–10 minutes each, with auto-generated chapters and code-on-screen as it happens.

▶️ Full playlist on YouTube