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{{Infobox programming language
| name = MLton
| logo = 
| paradigm = [[Multi-paradigm programming language|Multi-paradigm]]: [[Functional programming|functional]], [[Imperative programming|imperative]]
| designer = 
| family = [[ML (programming language)|ML]]: [[Standard ML]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1997}}<ref name="mlworkshop"/>
| latest release version = 20241230
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2024|12|30}}
| typing = [[Strong and weak typing|strong]], [[Static typing|static]], [[Type inference|inferred]]
| website = {{URL|mlton.org}}
| license = [[Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=License |url=http://mlton.org/License |website=MLton.org |access-date=2021-11-30}}</ref>
| File extensions = .sml
| influenced by = [[Standard ML]]
| influenced = 
}}

'''MLton''' is a whole-program [[optimizing compiler]] for the [[programming language]] [[Standard ML]].<ref name="mlworkshop">{{cite web |title=Whole-Program Compilation in MLton |author=Stephen Weeks |date=September 16, 2006 |accessdate=2007-12-02 |url=http://mlton.org/pages/References/attachments/060916-mlton.pdf |publisher=ML Workshop 2006, invited lecture |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629215827/http://mlton.org/pages/References/attachments/060916-mlton.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2007}}</ref> MLton development began in 1997,<ref name="mlworkshop"/> and continues{{refn|https://github.com/MLton/mlton}} with a worldwide community of developers and users, who have helped to [[Porting|port]] MLton to several [[computing platform]]s. It is [[free and open-source software]] released under a [[Historical Permission Notice and Disclaimer]]. MLton was a participating organization in the 2013 [[Google Summer of Code]].

MLton aims to produce fast executables, and to encourage [[rapid prototyping]] and [[modular programming]] by eliminating inefficiencies often associated with high-level features.<ref name="mlworkshop"/> It also aims to facilitate [[Programming in the large and programming in the small#Programming in the large|large-scale programming]] through the MLBasis system,{{refn|http://mlton.org/MLBasis}} simplifying modularity and management of namespaces. As a whole-program compiler, it is notable for lacking an [[read–eval–print loop]] interactive top-level, common among Standard ML environments.{{refn|http://mlton.org/Drawbacks}}

MLton includes several libraries in addition to the Basis [[standard library]] including ML Language Processing Tools with an implementation of [[ANTLR]], and MLRISC with [[Code generation (compiler)|code generators]] for [[reduced instruction set computer]]s. It also implements features that aid in porting code from SML/NJ, one of the more popular SML implementations,{{citation needed|reason=Measuring programming language popularity is difficult|date=September 2013}} including support for SML/NJ's compiling manager.

==See also==
* {{Section link|NEC Corporation of America#NEC Research Institute}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|mlton.org}}
* {{GitHub|MLton}}
* {{SourceForge|projects/mlton|MLton}}

{{ML programming}}

[[Category:ML programming language family]]
[[Category:Programming languages created in 1997]]

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