# Zena programming language 6 Hacker News commenters recommended Zena programming language and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months. **Verdict:** A TypeScript-like language that compiles to WebAssembly, with GC and WASI support, fixing several TypeScript issues and suiting sandboxed generated code. ## Why people recommend it - TypeScript-like syntax with fixes (3 comments): "It's quite a bit like JS/TS, but fixes a lot of things and runs forward with features that will take JS many years to get to" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49809594)) "It's like a fixed up TypeScript specifically tailored for Wasm GC that can produce very small and fast binaries" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49692543)) "A typescript alike that compiles to wasm, and which really leans in to modern wasm, such as gc, wasi." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49675478)) - Targets modern WebAssembly features (2 comments): "It's like a fixed up TypeScript specifically tailored for Wasm GC that can produce very small and fast binaries" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49692543)) "A typescript alike that compiles to wasm, and which really leans in to modern wasm, such as gc, wasi." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49675478)) - Isolates generated code via WebAssembly (2 comments): "fine-grained isolation, which Zena gets via Web Assembly, is critical for limiting the capabilities of generated code" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49862557)) "I believe this can work better as an "ai-first" language than some other attempts I've seen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49862713)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Rust](https://hackerapproved.com/p/rust.md): 2039 recommend - [Go](https://hackerapproved.com/p/go-programming-language.md): 1254 recommend - [Python](https://hackerapproved.com/p/python.md): 1067 recommend - [Zig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zig.md): 743 recommend - [TypeScript](https://hackerapproved.com/p/typescript.md): 574 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Zena programming language", https://hackerapproved.com/p/zena/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).