# Getting started

To get started with FZLang, you need two executable files on your computer:

- `fzc` — the compiler
- `fz` — the virtual machine

To compile a program, run `fzc` and pass it the paths to your source files. If compilation succeeds, run the compiled program with `fz`, passing the path to the compiled file. If you do not specify an output path for the compiler, it saves the compiled program as `a.fzb`.

## Compiler options

To see the available compiler options, run `fzc --help` (or `fzc -h`). The help currently looks like this:

```
Usage: fzc [flags] <sources...>
Available flags:
        -h      --help          Print help
        -v      --verbose       Display compilation info (tokens, AST, consts table, etc)
        -V      --version       Print compiler version
        -o      --out           Set compiled file name
```

The `-h` (`--help`) flag prints the same help text. The `-v` / `--verbose` flags print detailed compilation information, including:

- The tokens that were read;
- The syntax tree that was built;
- The values stored in the constants table;
- The opcodes written to the program.

The `-V` / `--version` flags print the compiler version. The `-o` / `--out` flags let you choose the output file path.

## Virtual machine options

The virtual machine has two options: `--help` (`-h`) and `-d`.

- `--help` (or `-h`) prints the help text;
- `-d <path to file>` prints the opcodes with their indices. Use this flag to see how the VM will read your program.

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Next: [Basics and types](./02_basics-and-types.md)

Previous: [Introduction](./00_introduction.md)