C4bbinding

C4bbinding is a cross-language binding framework designed to expose APIs written for the C4 ecosystem to other programming languages through automatically generated wrappers. It provides a workflow and runtime support intended to reduce manual glue code and improve interoperability across language boundaries.

The framework consists of three main parts: a metadata specification, a binding generator, and a runtime library. The metadata describes modules, types, functions, and lifecycle semantics in a concise interface description language. The generator consumes this metadata to emit language-specific binding code for target host languages such as C++, Python, Java, and JavaScript. The runtime library handles cross-language concerns including memory management, object lifetimes, error translation, and platform-specific ABI considerations.

C4bbinding emphasizes type mapping and sane default behavior. Primitive types, enums, structures, arrays, and opaque handles can be surfaced to host languages, with adapters providing conversions and call semantics appropriate to each language. The framework supports synchronous calls and, where applicable, asynchronous or callback-based patterns, depending on the host language’s capabilities. It also aims to preserve error information and enable predictable exception or error propagation across boundaries.

Typical use involves authoring an interface definition in the framework’s metadata language, generating binding code for the desired host languages, and integrating the generated wrappers with the host project alongside the C4 components. This approach aims to streamline multi-language integration in projects that rely on the C4 toolchain or libraries, reducing manual wrapper work and promoting safer, more maintainable cross-language APIs.

Notes on status and ecosystem: C4bbinding is maintained as a community-driven project with ongoing releases and expanding language adapters. Documentation and examples are provided to guide users through common binding scenarios and best practices.