# Carbon > programming language **Wikidata**: [Q113157814](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113157814) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_(programming_language)) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/carbon ## Summary Carbon is a software application whose design has been influenced by C++, Go, and Rust[1]. ## Summary Carbon is an experimental, compiled programming language created by Google. It was first committed on 2020-04-27 and is licensed under the Apache Software License 2.0. ## Key Facts - Carbon is an instance of the classes "programming language" and "compiled language." - Developer: Google (the American multinational technology company, subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.). - First commit / inception: 2020-04-27; first-commit author listed as Jon Ross-Perkins. - License: Apache Software License 2.0 (Apache-licensed software; Apache 2.0 was approved by the ASF in 2004). - Source code repository: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang. - Project website / README: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/README.md. - GitHub username for the project: carbon-language. - File extension: carbon. - Readable file format: Carbon file format (documented in the repository). - Writable file format: Carbon file format (documented in the repository). - Typing discipline: static typing; nominative typing; inference typing. - Copyright status: copyrighted. - Aliases: Carbonlang; Carbon language; Carbon programming language; Carbon-Lang; Carbon言語; Carbonプログラミング言語. - Logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Carbon_logo.png. - Subreddit: CarbonLang (English). Subreddit description: "The Carbon Programming Language - An experimental successor to C++"; subreddit start_time noted as 2022-07-19 and point_in_time 2023-05-24. - Influenced by: C++ (reference noting Carbon aims to be a C++ successor) and Go. - Related languages referenced in project context: Go (inception 2009-11-10), C++ (inception 1983), Rust (inception 2006-07-23). - Wikipedia title: "Carbon (programming language)"; sitelink_count for the Carbon entry: 17. - Wikipedia languages available for Carbon page (codes): de, en, fa, fi, fr, he, id, it, ja, kaa, ko, ru, tr, zh, zh_min_nan, zh_yue. - Source code repository metadata qualifiers: repository value https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang with repository qualifiers recorded in the dataset. - Project listed in external programming-language rankings (GitHub-ranking dataset reference). - Related classes and items: "programming language" class (definition: language for communicating instructions to a machine) with sitelink_count 161; "compiled language" class with sitelink_count 22. - Related Things: Apache Software License 2.0 (sitelink_count 8); Seeker (a CubeSat built to demonstrate inspection of other spacecraft; sitelink_count 2). - Structured metadata reference dates: license file snapshot referenced 2022-07-24; README snapshot reference 2022-10-03; readable/writable file format docs referenced 2024-08-07; repository metadata referenced 2025-07-06. - Different_from property: another entity named "Carbon" (distinct entity sharing the same name). ## FAQs Q: What is Carbon? A: Carbon is a compiled programming language project developed by Google, first committed on 2020-04-27 and released under the Apache Software License 2.0. Q: Who develops Carbon? A: Carbon is developed by Google. The project repository and organizational metadata list Google as the developer organization. Q: When did Carbon begin? A: The project's recorded inception is the first commit dated 2020-04-27, with Jon Ross-Perkins listed as the first-commit author. Q: Under what license is Carbon released? A: Carbon is released under the Apache Software License 2.0; the repository contains an Apache-2.0 LICENSE file referenced on 2022-07-24. Q: Where is Carbon’s source code hosted? A: The canonical source code repository is https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang, and the project uses the GitHub username carbon-language. Q: What languages influenced Carbon? A: Carbon lists C++ and Go among its influences; public coverage notes Carbon aims to be a successor to C++. Q: What are Carbon’s typing characteristics? A: Carbon uses static typing, nominative typing, and type inference. Q: How do I recognize Carbon source files? A: The project metadata lists the readable and writable format as the "Carbon file format" and a file extension value of "carbon." Q: Is there a community hub for Carbon? A: Yes; there is an English-language subreddit named CarbonLang, described as "The Carbon Programming Language - An experimental successor to C++" with activity referenced beginning 2022-07-19. Q: How is Carbon distinct from other things named "Carbon"? A: The project metadata includes a different_from property to distinguish this programming language from other entities named "Carbon." ## Why It Matters Carbon matters because it is an explicitly positioned, Google-developed attempt to provide an experimental successor path to existing systems languages, with particular reference to C++. The project is significant for several reasons: - It represents an investment by Google and the open-source community in evolving systems-level programming language design, offering an alternative and successor-oriented approach to long-standing languages used for performance-critical and systems programming. - By being released under Apache License 2.0 and hosted openly on GitHub, Carbon promotes open development, reproducibility, and community contribution while integrating modern source-repository practices and documentation (README, format docs). - Its typing discipline—static, nominative, and inference—signals design goals balancing compile-time safety with developer ergonomics. - Carbon’s documented readable and writable file format and explicit file-extension metadata aim to standardize tooling and source organization for a new language ecosystem. - The project’s visibility (Wikipedia page in many languages, subreddit, GitHub listing) and references in press and ranking datasets indicate active community and tooling interest, which can influence adoption and the evolution of systems programming language standards. ## Notable For - First commit / inception date recorded as 2020-04-27 with first-commit author Jon Ross-Perkins. - Developed and publicly hosted by Google via an open GitHub repository (carbon-language/carbon-lang). - Licensed under Apache Software License 2.0, enabling permissive open-source use and contribution. - Explicit positioning as influenced by C++ and Go, with public commentary framing Carbon as an experimental successor to C++. - Clear, enumerated typing discipline combining static typing, nominative typing, and inference. - Project metadata includes dedicated readable/writable "Carbon file format" and a defined file extension value ("carbon"). - Broad documentation and community signals: multilingual Wikipedia entry, an English subreddit (CarbonLang), and repository documentation snapshots. - Project metadata and references appear in external datasets and rankings (GitHub-ranking dataset referenced). ## Body ### Overview and Classification - Carbon is classified as both a programming language and a compiled language. The "programming language" class is defined as a language for communicating instructions to a machine and has a sitelink_count of 161. The "compiled language" class has a sitelink_count of 22. - The project’s wikidata description is "programming language" and its Wikipedia title is "Carbon (programming language)." ### Origin and Inception - The recorded inception of Carbon is 2020-04-27. The dataset records a first commit on that date with Jon Ross-Perkins named as the first-commit author. - Repository-level reference points include a commit snapshot (commit hash referenced in metadata) used as the inception citation. - Repository metadata snapshots and documentation references appear across 2022–2025 dates in the source material. ### Developer and Organizational Context - Carbon’s developer is Google. Google is described in the source metadata as an American multinational technology company and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. - Google inception (company founding) is recorded as 1998-09-04 in the provided metadata. - Google headquarters listed: Mountain View, California, specifically Googleplex with coordinates provided (lat 37.42205555555555, lon -122.08444444444444) and a street address "1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA" with a start_time of 2003 for that headquarters entry. - Employee counts for Google in the dataset: 47,756 (point_in_time 2013), 53,861 (point_in_time 2012), 53,600 (point_in_time 2014), and 187,000 (preferred, point_in_time 2022). - Google is associated with industries including the Internet industry, software industry, internet marketing, information technology, and technology industry. - Google is referenced in the Carbon metadata as the organization responsible for creating/developing Carbon. ### License and Legal Status - Carbon is licensed under the Apache Software License 2.0. The license file in the repository is referenced with a snapshot dated 2022-07-24. - The Apache Software License 2.0 entry in the related items notes it was approved by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) in 2004. ### Source Code, Repository, and Project Infrastructure - Canonical repository URL: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang. - Project README is hosted at https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/README.md (README snapshot referenced 2022-10-03). - GitHub username for project organization: carbon-language. - Repository metadata in the source includes qualifiers and structured identifiers used by the dataset curators. - External dataset references list the project in GitHub-ranking datasets (a programming_language reference with a publication_date 2025-07-06 in the provided metadata). ### Technical Properties and File Format - Typing discipline: Carbon uses static typing, nominative typing, and type inference. - File format: The project documents a "Carbon file format" for source files; the readable and writable file format entries are both set to "Carbon file format" (documentation referenced 2024-08-07). - File extension metadata lists the file extension value as "carbon." ### Influences and Related Languages - Influenced by: The project metadata lists C++ with explicit reference material noting Carbon is framed as an experimental successor to C++ in news coverage; Go is also listed as an influence. - Related languages present in the Carbon metadata: Go (inception recorded as 2009-11-10), C++ (inception recorded as 1983), and Rust (inception recorded as 2006-07-23). These are presented as connected languages in the project context. - The project’s public framing and references emphasize the relationship to C++ and successor intent; external coverage cited in the metadata conveys this positioning. ### Community and Public Presence - Subreddit: The CarbonLang subreddit is recorded with English language qualifier, described as "The Carbon Programming Language - An experimental successor to C++." Subreddit metadata records a start_time of 2022-07-19 and a point_in_time snapshot of 2023-05-24. - Wikipedia presence: The Carbon programming language page exists in multiple language editions: de, en, fa, fi, fr, he, id, it, ja, kaa, ko, ru, tr, zh, zh_min_nan, zh_yue. - Sitelink counts: The Carbon page has a sitelink_count of 17 in the dataset. Related classes and items include sitelink counts (programming language class 161, compiled language class 22, Apache License 2.0 sitelink_count 8, Seeker sitelink_count 2). ### Metadata and Cataloging - The dataset includes an explicit "copyright_status" field for Carbon, marked as copyrighted. - The metadata includes an explicit "different_from" property indicating that this Carbon entity should be distinguished from other entities named "Carbon." - Project documentation and format files include references and snapshots across 2022–2025 dates in the provided dataset. ### Related Things and Cross-References - Apache Software License 2.0: included as Carbon’s license and described as a Thing in the dataset, with approval date by the ASF in 2004. - Seeker: listed in related items; Seeker is described as a CubeSat built to demonstrate inspection of other spacecraft. The dataset lists Seeker among related items, indicating cross-links in the knowledge graph. - C++ and Go: included as both influences and contextual related languages in the metadata, with inception dates and reference links provided. ### Notable Dates and Reference Snapshots - Carbon first commit / inception: 2020-04-27 (first-commit author Jon Ross-Perkins). - License snapshot referenced: 2022-07-24. - README snapshot referenced: 2022-10-03. - Readable/writable file format docs referenced: 2024-08-07. - Repository metadata snapshot referenced: 2025-07-06. - Subreddit start_time: 2022-07-19 (point_in_time snapshot 2023-05-24). ### Naming, Aliases, and Internationalization - Project aliases include Carbonlang; Carbon language; Carbon programming language; Carbon-Lang; Carbon言語; Carbonプログラミング言語. - The project’s Wikipedia presence spans at least 15 language editions as listed in the metadata. ### Datasets and Rankings - Carbon appears in external programming-language ranking datasets referenced in the repository metadata; one such dataset reference lists a publication_date of 2025-07-06 in the provided dataset. ### Practical Access Points - Primary repository: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang. - README / project introduction: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/README.md. - License file in repository: Apache Software License 2.0 (LICENSE in repo; snapshot referenced 2022-07-24). - Project logo available at the provided Commons URL. This entry compiles the structured metadata and relationships recorded for the Carbon programming language as provided in the source material, including provenance, licensing, technical characteristics, influences, community links, and repository references. ## References 1. [Source](https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/LICENSE) 2. [2025](https://github.com/EvanLi/Github-Ranking/blob/master/Data/github-ranking-2025-07-06.csv) 3. [first commit. 2020](https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/commit/3973b09895155ad6f73dd93e50080b05a3ef6e50) 4. [Carbon, a new programming language from Google, aims to be C++ successor. 2022](https://9to5google.com/2022/07/19/carbon-programming-language-google-cpp/) 5. [Source](https://api.github.com/repos/carbon-language/carbon-lang) 6. [Source](https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/docs/design/code_and_name_organization/source_files.md) 7. [Source](https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang)