Show HN: A C/C++ IDE written in C from scratch with zero dependencies
Show HN (score: 8)
Found: March 22, 2026
ID: 3870
Description
IDE/Editor
Show HN: A C/C++ IDE written in C from scratch with zero dependencies
I’ve spent the last ~2 years building a C/C++ IDE for Windows entirely in C99. My goal was to eliminate the bloat of the modern Visual Studio environment keeping its core features.
Key Technical Highlights:
Zero Dependencies: Just the Windows API
Performance: Starts in 0.1ms on a twelve year old machine. It handles projects with 500k+ lines without UI lag or indexing stutters.
Integrated Tools: Includes a custom-built debugger, profiler, and Intellisense engine designed for speed.
Portability: It’s a single executable. No installer required.
I built this because I was tired of waiting 10 seconds for Visual Studio to "wake up" and seeing my RAM disappear just to boot it up. It’s currently hosted on itch.io while I gather funds to set up a dedicated site.
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