CIEL is a batteries-included Common Lisp environment for scripting, with a terminal REPL, core image, and library of utilities.
CIEL is an extended Common Lisp distribution that bundles essential libraries and tools to make Lisp practical for everyday scripting and development. It provides a ready-to-use environment with fast startup times, a user-friendly terminal REPL, and language extensions that simplify common tasks like JSON handling, HTTP requests, and data structure manipulation. The project solves the friction of setting up a full-featured Lisp environment by including batteries for modern development workflows.
Common Lisp developers looking for a streamlined scripting environment, as well as newcomers who want a practical, batteries-included Lisp setup without manual library management. It's also suitable for developers building CLI tools or automation scripts in Lisp.
Developers choose CIEL because it reduces the boilerplate and setup time typically required in Common Lisp projects, offering a curated collection of libraries and an enhanced REPL out of the box. Its focus on scripting ergonomics and immediate usability makes it a unique alternative to rolling your own Lisp environment.
CIEL Is an Extended Lisp. Scripting with batteries included.
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Scripts start quickly, with an example HTTP/JSON script running in 0.466 total seconds, making CIEL practical for CLI tools and automation.
Includes readline support, multiline input, TAB completion, shell pass-through, and graceful error handling, vastly improving over standard SBCL's REPL for interactive use.
Bundles essential utilities for JSON, HTTP, CSV, string manipulation, and more, reducing setup friction and enabling immediate productivity.
Adds syntax improvements like the `dict` macro for hash-tables and arrow macros, softening Common Lisp's rough edges for modern development workflows.
The project is explicitly marked as WIP with a warning that the API WILL change, making it risky for production code without frequent updates and adaptations.
Building from source requires managing ASDF versions (>=3.3.4), installing Quicklisp, and manually cloning dependencies, which can be cumbersome for newcomers.
Pre-built binaries are only available for Debian and Void Linux, forcing users on macOS, Windows, or other systems to build from source or rely on Docker, adding overhead.