Ark Compiler, also known as ArkCompiler, is a unified compilation and runtime platform that supports joint compilation and running across programming languages and chip platforms, also operating systems of open-source OpenHarmony, Oniro OS, alongside proprietary HarmonyOS with single core system HarmonyOS NEXT included on native APP in Event-driven programming in a unified development environment and formerly built for Android-based EMUI for Huawei smartphones and tablets with HMS-enabled apk apps on AppGallery that improves app performance.
[3] Huawei initially open sourced Ark Compiler for Android platform on GitHub, on September 9, 2019, as they were transitioning away from the operating system via US sanctions.
[4] Then the company, open sourced Ark Compiler with OpenArkCompiler as part of the Huawei Ark Compiler open source project (HACOSP) in early February 2022 [5] and ArkJS_runtime, in the previous year in September 2021 after two years of inception in August 2019.
It also provides a set of native APIs for C++ and JS interaction and a variety of garbage collectors that features high performance.
It contains an allocator and garbage collector (GC) for ArkTS/JS objects, a standard library that conforms to the ECMAScript specification, an interpreter for running the ARK Bytecode (abc) generated by ARK front-end components, an inline cache for acceleration, a statically typed compiler, a C++/C function interface for Native API (NAPI) application development at runtime, and other modules in Ahead-of-time compilation via DevEco Studio since version 3.1.1 on both HarmonyOS 3.1 SDK and OpenHarmony 3.2 SDK API 9.