CJIT, a lightweight C interpreter, drops the build step and lets developers run C code on the fly, all from a single executable under 2 MB. The tool, driven by JIT compilation, eliminates the need for IDEs, libraries, or headers, enabling instant deployment of C programs.

Inspired by Terry Davis’s TempleOS and Fabrice Bellard’s TinyCC, CJIT follows a minimalist philosophy. It pulls in any shared library at runtime, allowing developers to call functions from existing dynamic libraries without pre‑linking. The project is fully open source and available under a permissive license.

The creators—Jaromil, Danielinux, Matteo, Puria, and Alvise—credit communities like Suckless, Devuan, and Void for guidance. CJIT aims to streamline rapid prototyping and scripting in C, offering a quick alternative to compiling for developers who need speed and simplicity.