Installation

Get up and running with Tova in under five minutes.

Install the Tova Compiler

Option 1: Install Script (macOS / Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tova-lang/tova-lang/main/install.sh | sh

This downloads a prebuilt binary for your platform and adds it to your PATH. No dependencies required.

Note: Some commands (dev, test) require Bun. The standalone binary handles run, build, new, repl, fmt, and lsp without Bun.

Option 2: Bun (Windows, macOS, Linux)

bun install -g tova

This works on all platforms including Windows. If you don't have Bun installed, see Prerequisites below.

Option 3: Download Binary

Download the latest binary for your platform from the GitHub Releases page. Place it somewhere on your PATH and make it executable:

chmod +x tova-<platform>
mv tova-<platform> /usr/local/bin/tova

Verify Installation

tova --version

You should see the current Tova version printed to the terminal.

Prerequisites for Full Functionality

Tova uses Bun as its runtime for the dev server and test runner. If you need these features, install Bun:

macOS / Linux:

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

Windows:

powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

You need Bun 1.0 or later.

Check Your Setup

Run tova doctor to verify your environment is configured correctly:

tova doctor

This checks Tova, Bun, PATH configuration, git, and your shell profile.

Create a New Project

Scaffold a new project with tova new:

tova new my-app
cd my-app

You'll be prompted to choose a template (full-stack app, API server, script, library, or blank). You can also specify one directly:

tova new my-api --template api
tova new my-script --template script

Run a Script

You do not need a project to use Tova. Create any .tova file and run it directly:

echo 'print("Hello from Tova!")' > hello.tova
tova run hello.tova

This is the simplest way to get started -- a single file, no project scaffold, no configuration. Perfect for scripts, utilities, and quick experiments.

Project Structure

tova new generates a ready-to-run project. The exact structure depends on the template you choose:

my-app/                      # fullstack / api template
├── src/
│   └── app.tova             # Main application file
├── tova.toml                # Project manifest ([project] section)
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

my-lib/                      # library template
├── src/
│   └── lib.tova             # Library entry point with pub exports
├── tova.toml                # Package manifest ([package] section)
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

The tova.toml file is the project manifest. Application templates use a [project] section, while the library template uses a [package] section with a domain-qualified name (e.g., github.com/yourname/my-lib), exports list, and license -- everything needed for a publishable package. See Creating Packages for details.

The source file in src/ is where you write your application. You can write plain Tova scripts here, or use shared, server, and browser blocks for full-stack web applications -- the compiler splits them automatically.

Install Dependencies

If your project uses npm packages, install them with:

tova install

This reads tova.toml, generates a shadow package.json, and runs bun install. You can also add packages directly:

tova add htmx
tova add prettier --dev

Run the Dev Server (Web Projects)

If your project uses server and browser blocks, start the development server with hot reloading:

tova dev

Open your browser to the URL printed in the terminal. Every time you save a .tova file, the server recompiles and reloads automatically.

Build for Production

When you are ready to deploy:

tova build --production

This compiles all .tova files to JavaScript, bundles assets, adds content hashes for cache-busting, and minifies the output. Compiled files go to .tova-out/.

CLI Quick Reference

Command	Description
tova new <name>	Scaffold a new project (with template picker)
tova install	Install npm dependencies from tova.toml
tova add <pkg>	Add an npm dependency (--dev for dev)
tova remove <pkg>	Remove an npm dependency
tova dev [dir]	Start development server with hot reload
tova build [dir]	Compile .tova files to JavaScript
tova run <file>	Compile and execute a single .tova file
tova repl	Start the interactive REPL
tova test [dir]	Run tests
tova fmt [files]	Format Tova source files
tova lsp	Start the Language Server Protocol server
tova doctor	Check your development environment
tova completions <sh>	Generate shell completions (bash, zsh, fish)
tova upgrade	Upgrade Tova to latest version
tova migrate:create <name>	Create a new database migration
tova migrate:up [file]	Run pending migrations
tova migrate:status [file]	Show migration status

For full details on every command and flag, see the CLI Reference.

Editor Support

Tova ships with a VS Code extension that provides syntax highlighting, autocompletion, go-to-definition, and inline diagnostics. See Editor Support for setup instructions.

Next Steps

• Hello World -- write and run your first Tova program
• Tour of Tova -- a 10-minute walkthrough of every major feature