Langium: Design Your Own Language in Node.js and VS Code

What if you could build a custom language with full IDE support using just TypeScript? Learn to create powerful domain-specific languages with the Langium framework.

#1about 4 minutes

Why you should create a domain-specific language

DSLs empower domain experts to implement business logic directly, overcoming the limitations of general-purpose tools and low-code platforms.

#2about 5 minutes

Fundamental principles of language design

Choose the right paradigm and abstraction level for your DSL, focusing on specificity rather than replicating general-purpose languages like JSON.

#3about 3 minutes

An overview of the Langium framework

Langium is a TypeScript-based toolkit for creating languages with built-in support for the Language Server Protocol (LSP) and VS Code extensions.

#4about 2 minutes

Defining language syntax and structure with a grammar

Use Langium's grammar language to define your language's syntax, including keywords, properties, and cross-references between different elements.

#5about 6 minutes

Demonstrating a Langium-powered VS Code extension

A live demonstration shows how a Langium-based extension provides rich editor features and a command-line interface for code generation.

#6about 4 minutes

How Langium processes code into an abstract syntax tree

Langium tokenizes and parses input text to create an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), which serves as the central model for all language features.

#7about 5 minutes

Generating TypeScript types from your grammar

Langium automatically infers TypeScript interfaces from your grammar, but also supports explicit type declarations for better long-term project maintenance.

#8about 9 minutes

Scaffolding a new project with the Yeoman generator

Get started quickly by using the `yo langium` command to scaffold a complete, ready-to-use project for your new language.

#9about 7 minutes

Q&A on IDE support and technology stack choices

The discussion covers IDE compatibility, documentation support, and the benefits of a consistent TypeScript stack compared to Java-based alternatives like Xtext.