Annotated diagram of the Lua VM pipeline from source to bytecode execution.

Inside the Lua VM: How the Reference Implementation Compiles and Executes Bytecode

A walk through the reference Lua VM: lexing, parsing, code generation, and the register-based interpreter loop that makes Lua famously fast for a small footprint.

September 7, 2026 · 14 min · 2977 words · martinuke0
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