LU Lua

Lua: Running Code & Tools

Running Lua

lua script.lua          # run a script
lua -i script.lua       # run the script, then enter interactive mode
lua -e "print(1 + 1)"  # run inline code
luajit script.lua       # run with LuaJIT (a fast JIT compiler)

Major use cases

Lua is not typically used for standalone applications — it's designed as an embeddable language:

Domain Example
Game scripting Roblox (Luau), World of Warcraft, Love2D framework
Embedded systems Redis (scripting), Nginx (OpenResty), Wireshark
Configuration Neovim, Awesome WM, Hammerspoon
Desktop apps Aegisub (subtitles), VLC

Editors

  • VS Code — install the Lua extension by sumneko (lua-language-server) for autocomplete, diagnostics, and type checking
  • ZeroBrane Studio — lightweight IDE specifically designed for Lua development
  • Vim/Neovim with lua-language-server LSP for code intelligence
  • Roblox Studio — built-in script editor for Roblox's Luau dialect

LuaRocks (package manager)

luarocks install luasocket     # install a rock (package)
luarocks list                  # list installed rocks
luarocks search lua            # search for packages
luarocks remove luasocket      # uninstall

Luau (Roblox Lua)

Roblox uses Luau, a derivative of Lua 5.1 with: - Type annotations (gradual typing) - Performance optimizations for game scripting - continue keyword (not in standard Lua) - Bitwise operators as built-in

Getting started with Love2D

Love2D is a framework for making 2D games in Lua:

# Create main.lua:
# function love.draw() love.graphics.print("Hello", 400, 300) end
love .                    # run the game

Common resources

Quick check below!

All Lua lessons