AtlasVM

AtlasVM is a distributed virtual machine capable of executing programs written in AtlasPL, a basic programming language. This project explores the challenges and benefits of distributed computing through a simplified virtual machine framework.

Overview

AtlasVM operates in a distributed system where multiple nodes collaborate to run a program and reach a consensus on the final output. The project consists of several key components:

1. AtlasPL: A simple programming language for writing programs to be executed on AtlasVM.
2. Lexer and Parser: For analyzing and parsing AtlasPL code.
3. Interpreter: For executing AtlasPL programs.
4. Virtual Machine: The core component that executes the interpreted code.
5. Network Layer: Enables communication between distributed nodes.
6. Consensus Mechanism: Ensures agreement on the program's final state across all nodes.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Go 1.16 or later
• Protocol Buffers compiler (protoc)
• gRPC

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/atlas-virtual-machine.git
   cd atlas-virtual-machine
   

2. Install dependencies:

   go mod tidy
   

3. Generate Protocol Buffers code:

   protoc --go_out=. --go-grpc_out=. proto/atlas.proto
   

Running the AtlasVM

1. Start the AtlasVM nodes:

   go run cmd/atlasvm/main.go
   

2. This will start three nodes by default, initialize the network, and execute a sample AtlasPL program.

Writing AtlasPL Programs

AtlasPL is a simple language supporting basic operations. Here's an example program that checks if a number is even:

@ This program checks if a number is even.
var number: int;
number = 10; @ Assign a value to number
if ((number & 1) == 0) { @ Check if last bit is 0 (even)
  return (0);
} else {
  return (1);
}

For more details on this project, refer to my blog post on AtlasVM: Building a Distributed Virtual Machine - Lessons in Compilers and Distributed Systems.

Contributing

AtlasVM is for educational purposes and welcomes contributions from the community.