Domain-specific languages

limited formal languages designed for a specific domain

examples: CSS, SQL, CMake, Bash, PowerShell, GLSL, VHDL, Verilog, Modelica, TeX, Protobuf schema, PlantUML, Mermaid, …

DSL development frameworks and language workbenches:

Xtext (Java/Eclipse)
Spoofax (Java/Eclipse)
JetBrains MPS (Java)
- projectional editing
Langium (JS/TS)
…

More examples of (external) DSLs:

(see https://beautifulracket.com/appendix/domain-specific-languages.html)

CSS, SCSS/Sass, Less, …
SQL, GraphQL, Cypher, Gremlin, SPARQL, Kusto (KQL), CQL, CQL, OQL, TypeQL, BIMQL, PathQuery, PromQL, LogQL, HQL/JPQL, …
- query languages
LookML
- semantic data modeling language to simplify data exploration and reporting
Markdown, Texy, …
TeX, LaTeX, Typst
- typesetting engines+languages
BNF, EBNF, ANTLR4 grammar (.g4), Pegen grammar, Langium grammar language
StringTemplate, TemplateToolkit, Velocity, FreeMarker, Twig
- text/code templating languages
- + T4 (C#), Razor (C#), PHP, JSP (Java)
  - these ones support embedding code in an existing programming language
AWK
bash, fish, zsh, PowerShell, …
GLSL, HLSL, MSL, WGSL, Shadeup
- (GPU) shading languages
Makefile, CMake, Gradle, Cabal, Starlark (Bazel), Cocoa Podfile …
- build-configuration languages
Dockerfile, Earthfile
- script languages for containerized builds
DOT (GraphViz), GrGen, PlantUML, Mermaid, Sequence, D2, blockdiag, …
- diagramming languages
ERML, DBML
- languages used to design and document entity relationships and database schemas
Apache config (.htaccess), named.conf + DNS zone file
QML, Quid, Slint, …
- GUI description languages
Gherkin
OMG IDL, WebIDL, Avro IDL; WIT (WASM Interface Type) + WAI
- interface description languages
Protobuf schema (.proto)
- serialization schema language
YANG
- data modeling language for network management protocols (see RFC 7950)
Prisma schema
- Prisma ORM schema language (specifies data sources, generators and data models)
.http file
IPL (Imandra Protocol Language)
Scribble
- “language to describe application-level protocols among communicating systems”
- (see Session Types Implementations - Multiparty Session Types)
TypeSpec
- “language for describing cloud service APIs and generating […] client and service code, documentation, and other assets”
RBS
- “a language to describe the structure of Ruby programs”
DTD, RELAX NG (compact syntax)
ALFA
P4
- language for controlling network data forwarding
MSL (MAPE Specification Language)
- “a pattern language for engineering self-adaptive systems”; msl on GitHub
Modelica
VHDL, Verilog, SystemVerilog, Lola, AHDL, Spade
- hardware description languages
- Spade has a nice online playground
Q#
- programming language for quantum algorithms
Onshape FeatureScript
- programming language for building and working with 3D parametric models
Prism
- probabilistic model checking
PuzzleScript
- has an online CodeMirror-based editor
Rant
- a templating language for procedural generation of dialogs/text
Nomos
- “A Programming Language for Digital Contracts”
ISLE
- used in the Cranelift compiler project to express instruction-lowering patterns and optimizing rewrites
AADL
- “architecture description language for modeling and analysis of real-time, safety-critical systems”
GAL (Guarded Action Language)
- “a modeling language dedicated to the description of data manipulation for formal verification of concurrent systems”
P
- formal modeling and specification of distributed systems;
Promela
- formal modeling of concurrent processes (e.g. in distributed systems) for SPIN model checker
ALPH
- Aspect Language for Pervasive Healthcare
PGQL (Property Graph Query Language)
Sieve
- mail filtering language
Hedy
- a gradual programming language for learning programming
LeQuest
- description of medical devices? (student thesis)
KnitScript
- A Domain-Specific Scripting Language for Advanced Machine Knitting
TableGen
EisenScript
- programming language for generating 3D structures
GDL (Graphite Description Language)
- a rule-based language for describing the “smart” behavior of a font
JSON, JSON5, YAML, TOML, Jsonnet, INI (+ .editorconfig)…
- configuration languages
search for C# DSL repositories

project-specific DSLs and DSLs used internally within organizations:

various languages for specifying some business rules
Starbound (videogame)‘s DSL
- ”[…] crappy sort of DSL for drawing material blocks that visually connect in arbitrarily complicated ways”
Minecraft’s datapack (scripting) language
Skript
- a scripting language for a Minecraft server plugin for the Bukkit platform
Call of Duty scripting language (GSC)
- COD4
- COD5
Papyrus (Bethesda’s scripting language)
miniature languages for filtering
- Gmail search filters
- boolean filters in the when property of VSCode keybindings (with auto-suggest support)
CEG description format for ceg.testos.org
Little Languages
ImHex pattern language

DSL research, case studies, experience reports, conferences: