Zig Language Reference (v0.16.0)

Zig evolves rapidly. Training data contains outdated patterns that cause compilation errors. This skill documents breaking changes and correct modern patterns.

Version coverage: 0.16.0 (current) with migration notes from 0.15.x and 0.14.x.

Design Principles

Type-First Development

Define types and function signatures before implementation. Let the compiler guide completeness:

1. Define data structures (structs, unions, error sets)
2. Define function signatures (parameters, return types, error unions)
3. Implement to satisfy types
4. Validate at compile-time