[ FAQ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is BHC?

BHC (Basel Haskell Compiler) is a new Haskell compiler focused on:

Native code generation via LLVM
Predictable performance characteristics
Modern tooling and developer experience
Cross-compilation to multiple targets

How is BHC different from GHC?

Aspect	BHC	GHC
Backend	LLVM native	NCG / LLVM
Evaluation	Profile-based (strict/lazy)	Lazy by default
Target focus	Native, WASM, embedded	General-purpose
Maturity	Alpha (v0.1.0)	Production-ready
Compatibility	Haskell 2010 subset	Full Haskell + extensions

BHC is not a GHC replacement. It’s an alternative compiler for specific use cases where native performance and predictability matter.

Is BHC production-ready?

No. BHC v0.1.0-alpha is a technology preview. It can compile simple programs but lacks many features needed for production use. See “What works?” below.

Who is building BHC?

BHC is developed by Raskell, with the goal of expanding the Haskell ecosystem with specialized tooling.

Features

What works in v0.1.0-alpha?

Working features:

Hello World (putStrLn "Hello")
Integer literals (print 42)
Arithmetic (print (1 + 2 * 3))
Let bindings (let x = 5 in print x)
Simple function definitions

What doesn’t work yet?

Not yet implemented:

do notation and monadic operations
Pattern matching in function definitions
Type classes
Imports (except implicit Prelude)
Lists, tuples, algebraic data types
Standard library (Data.List, etc.)
Package management / Hackage

When will X be supported?

See the Roadmap for planned features. We’re focusing on:

Core language features (pattern matching, type classes)
Standard library basics
Package ecosystem integration

Can I use existing Haskell packages?

Not yet. BHC v0.1.0-alpha doesn’t support imports or package management. This is planned for future releases.

Installation

What platforms are supported?

BHC v0.1.0-alpha supports:

Linux x86_64 (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, etc.)
macOS aarch64 (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3)

Coming soon:

macOS x86_64 (Intel)
Windows x86_64
Linux aarch64

How do I install BHC?

curl -fsSL https://bhc.raskell.io/install.sh | sh

See Get Started for detailed instructions.

How do I uninstall BHC?

curl -fsSL https://bhc.raskell.io/install.sh | sh -s -- --uninstall

I get “command not found” after installing

Add BHC to your PATH:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.bhc/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

I get “library not found” when compiling

Add the RTS library path:

echo 'export LIBRARY_PATH="$HOME/.bhc/lib:$LIBRARY_PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Compatibility

Is BHC code compatible with GHC?

Yes, if you avoid BHC-specific extensions. Standard Haskell 2010 code that compiles with BHC will also compile with GHC.

BHC-specific extensions (like BHC2026, BHC.StrictDefault) are namespaced and won’t work with GHC.

Can I mix BHC and GHC in one project?

Not currently. A project must use one compiler. However, you can maintain compatibility by:

Writing standard Haskell 2010 code
Avoiding BHC-specific extensions
Testing with both compilers

Does BHC support GHC extensions?

BHC supports a subset of GHC extensions for compatibility. See the Compatibility Charter for details.

Contributing

How can I contribute?

BHC is open source. You can:

Report bugs on GitHub
Submit pull requests
Improve documentation
Share feedback and use cases

Where can I get help?

GitHub Issues for bugs
GitHub Discussions for questions
This documentation site

License

What license is BHC under?

BHC is open source. Check the GitHub repository for license details.