zig-expert

Zig build systems use build.zig files to define compilation targets and dependencies. Start with the provided templates in BUILD_TEMPLATES.md, configure your allocator strategy to avoid hidden allocations, and run zig build to generate executables. Templates support both minimal scripts and complex multi-file applications.

Memory management in Zig requires explicit allocator usage with no hidden allocations. Follow the philosophy of choosing appropriate allocators (general-purpose, arena, or fixed-buffer), tracking ownership through function signatures, and using defer/errdefer to guarantee cleanup. This prevents leaks and makes resource lifetime visible.

Debug memory issues by enabling safety checks in your build configuration, using allocator tracking to identify leaks, and leveraging Zig's error-union semantics with try/catch/errdefer to enforce error propagation. The compiler catches many mistakes at compile time when you follow error handling patterns correctly.

Cross-compilation in Zig is built into the language. Define target triples in your build.zig, configure platform-specific build rules, and the compiler handles target-specific code generation. This works across architectures and operating systems without external toolchains.

Comptime metaprogramming executes code at compile time to generate type-safe generics, introspection-based logic, and specialized implementations. Use it for generic data structures, compile-time configuration, and eliminating runtime overhead where behavior is known statically.

Zig uses error-union types (ErrorSet!T) instead of exceptions. Propagate errors with try, recover with catch, and guarantee cleanup with errdefer. This explicit error handling makes failure paths visible in code and prevents silent errors.