Is V the Next Fast, Safe Language for Backend Development? A Deep Dive

Developers today face a proliferation of programming languages, with Rust, Kotlin, Swift, Julia, Dart, Go, and now the newly open‑sourced static‑typed language V.

V is defined as a simple, fast, compiled language for building highly maintainable software. Its creator Alex Medvednikov says V is similar to Go and draws inspiration from Oberon, Rust, and Swift.

What Can We Expect from V?

Fast compilation

V can compile up to 1.2 million lines of code per second by generating direct machine code and using strong modularization; compiling C code drops to about 100 k lines per second per CPU.

The machine‑code generation is still early but already supports x64/Mach‑O, with stability targeted by year‑end.

Safety

V aims for an ideal language by eliminating null, global variables, undefined values, undefined methods, shadow variables, and binding checks. It defaults to immutable variables, pure functions, and immutable structures, with further safety features planned.

Performance

According to the website, V is as fast as C, requires minimal allocation, and supports built‑in serialization without runtime reflection, compiling to native binaries with no dependencies.

Only a 0.4 MB compiler

Compared with Go, Rust, GCC, and Clang, V’s compiler and standard library occupy just 400 KB and can be built in 0.4 seconds; the goal is to reduce build time to 0.15 seconds by year‑end.

C/C++ compilation

V code can be translated to C or C++, though this feature is still early and aims for stability by the end of the year.

What Do Foreign Developers Think?

Some developers find V’s promises too good to be true and question the lack of evidence for its performance claims.

Comments on Hacker News criticize the unverified promises, changing toolchain sources, and the closed‑source nature of the early alpha version.

Despite being in alpha and incomplete, the creator earns about $827 per month via Patreon, which some view as questionable.

Critics also note that V is not free software, limiting community growth, and that closed‑source projects often suffer from poor community interaction and delayed releases.

The official V website lists impressive features, but the early closed‑source stage prevents independent verification of performance guarantees.

Medvednikov: You Can Trust V

In a GitHub issue, Medvednikov said, “Either trust me or don’t; we’ll see who’s right in June. Please don’t call me a liar or spread misinformation.” He acknowledges criticism and the challenges of building a new language.

He also admitted that the language design includes hacky code, such as using os.system() instead of native API calls on Windows, and that some ugly C code was added with regret.

Key advice from developers includes taking time to build good software, saying “no” when necessary, and focusing on long‑term quality.

What are your thoughts on the emergence of V? Share your opinions in the comments.