Solnix Documentation

Overview

Solnix is a systems programming language designed specifically for eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter) program development. It provides a high-level syntax for writing eBPF programs while generating efficient C code compatible with the libbpf ecosystem.

Key Features

• eBPF-Specific Syntax: Purpose-built constructs for common eBPF patterns
• Type Safety: Static typing with eBPF-aware type checking
• libbpf Integration: Generates C code compatible with libbpf and vmlinux.h

Language Goals

Solnix aims to simplify eBPF development by providing a more accessible syntax than raw C while maintaining compatibility with the established libbpf ecosystem. The compiler generates standard eBPF C code that can be compiled with clang and loaded using standard Linux tools.

Implementation

Solnix is implemented in Rust and consists of three main repositories:

• solnix-compiler: Core compiler implementation with lexer, parser, semantic analysis, and C code generation
• solnix-cli: Command-line interface and build tooling
• solnix-docs: Language specification and architectural documentation

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70+ with Cargo
• Clang 11+ with BPF target support
• Linux kernel 4.18+ with eBPF support
• libbpf development headers (for vmlinux.h)

Basic Usage

# Compile a Solnix program
solnix build program.snx

# Load into kernel (XDP example)
sudo ip link set dev eth0 xdp obj program.o

Example Program

map packet_counter {
    type: .hash;
    key: u32;
    value: u64;
    max: 1024;
}

unit xdp_filter {
    section: "xdp";
    license: "GPL";

    reg src_ip = ctx.load_u32(26);
    heap count_ptr = packet_counter.lookup(src_ip);

    if guard(count_ptr) {
        *count_ptr += 1;
    }

    return 1;
}

Project Status

Solnix is in early development with a working compiler that generates libbpf-compatible C code.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please refer to the architecture documentation for implementation details and design rationale.