Free Open Graphical Dataflow Programming Language
FROG is an open, hardware-agnostic graphical dataflow programming language designed to describe computation as explicit executable graphs while remaining accessible, inspectable, portable, auditable, modular, and scalable across heterogeneous execution targets.
FROG opens the language layer itself:
canonical source, validated meaning, execution-facing FIR, lowering, backend contracts, runtime bridges, and compiler bridges.
In the generative AI era, software production becomes abundant, but accountable understanding becomes scarce.
FROG is designed to make generated or human-authored logic structured, graphical, inspectable, controllable, and governable.
Start here • Positioning • Execution architecture • Repository map • License
| Read this | For |
|---|---|
| FROG Strategy and Positioning | FROG definition, GO HW continuity, campaign priority, AI-era positioning, and dataflow rationale. |
| AI generation vs inspectability Orville chart | Visible root-level entry point for the AI-era positioning chart. |
| AI Orville chart explanation | Detailed non-normative explanation of why FROG (.frog / JSON) targets both AI generation compatibility and AI inspectability. |
| Format-first, not IDE-first | Why FROG's durable asset is the public source-to-FIR-to-contract pipeline rather than one IDE product. |
| Editors and authoring tools | How FROG-compatible editors fit around the public language specification, including Graiphic Studio. |
| FROG Architecture | Source, FIR, lowering, runtime/compiler, observability, targets, security, interoperability, and language/tooling separation. |
| FROG Repository Guide | Repository structure, public specification boundaries, documentation map, governance, and contribution/licensing pointers. |
| FROG Project Status | Published repository state, examples, conformance coverage, library/profile surfaces, and maturity notes. |
FROG is a public language specification, not a single IDE, runtime, compiler, device target, or vendor product. It defines a graphical dataflow language layer where source, validated meaning, execution-facing FIR, lowering, runtime contracts, compiler contracts, widgets, libraries, profiles, and conformance can be inspected independently.
In the generative AI era, FROG targets the upper-right quadrant where machine-generatable structured source meets graph-level inspection, validation, and governance.
The long-form strategic explanation is maintained in FROG Strategy and Positioning. The dedicated AI generation compatibility vs AI inspectability chart explanation is maintained in AI Generation Compatibility vs AI Inspectability Orville Chart.
FROG is a public language specification rather than a single editor product.
As the ecosystem grows, third-party and product-specific authoring tools may be
developed around the same .frog source model, validation rules,
interface concepts, widget definitions, and execution-facing contracts.
One such editor effort is Graiphic Studio, the Graiphic authoring environment being developed around the FROG language. Graiphic Studio documentation is maintained separately as user-facing product documentation. It does not replace this repository as the public FROG language specification.
The IDE-facing architecture for conforming authoring environments is described
in IDE/, with the ecosystem-facing
editor list maintained in Editors and authoring
tools.
A conforming FROG ecosystem separates authoring, canonical source, structural validity, validated program meaning, canonical open execution-facing representation, lowering, runtime/compiler consumers, target execution, and source-aligned observability.
.frog source
-> loadability
-> structural validation
-> semantic validation
-> validated program meaning
-> FIR / Execution IR
-> lowering
-> backend contract
-> runtime-family and/or compiler-family consumptionThe reference execution architecture is preserved in FROG Architecture. The standalone ASCII pipeline page is available in End-to-End Execution Pipeline Diagram.
| Path | Purpose |
|---|---|
Expression/ | Canonical source and structural validity. |
Language/ | Validated program meaning. |
IR/ | Open execution-facing representation and downstream handoff posture. |
Libraries/ | Public libraries, widgets, and Default realizations. |
Profiles/ | Optional capability/profile surfaces. |
IDE/ | IDE-facing concepts, authoring, observability, and inspection. |
Examples/ | Public examples and validation-oriented dossiers. |
Conformance/ | Accept / reject / preserve expectations. |
Implementations/Reference/ | Non-normative reference implementation workspace. |
Strategy/ | Non-normative strategic framing layer, including AI-era Orville positioning. |
Versioning/ | Centralized specification-version governance and current-status reporting. |
The detailed repository structure and reading path are maintained in FROG Repository Guide.
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See LICENSE for details. External contributions are governed through CONTRIBUTING.md and CLA.md. Repository stewardship and governance are described in GOVERNANCE.md.
FROG — Free Open Graphical Language
Open graphical dataflow programming, specified as a language rather than owned as a product.