Section: New Software and Platforms

F*

Participants : Nikhil Swamy [Microsoft Research] , Karthikeyan Bhargavan, Antoine Delignat-Lavaud, Cedric Fournet [Microsoft Research] , Catalin Hritcu, Chantal Keller, Aseem Rastogi, Pierre-Yves Strub.

F* is a new higher order, effectful programming language (like ML) designed with program verification in mind. Its type system is based on a core that resembles System Fω (hence the name), but is extended with dependent types, refined monadic effects, refinement types, and higher kinds. Together, these features allow expressing precise and compact specifications for programs, including functional correctness properties. The F* type-checker aims to prove that programs meet their specifications using an automated theorem prover (usually Z3) behind the scenes to discharge proof obligations. Programs written in F* can be translated to OCaml, F#, or JavaScript for execution.

A detailed description of F* (circa 2011) appeared in the Journal of Functional Programming  [88] . F* has evolved substantially since then. The latest version of F* is written entirely in F*, and bootstraps in OCaml and F#. It is under active development at GitHub: https://github.com/FStarLang and the official webpage is at http://fstar-lang.org .