What Is Lua Programming and What Is It Used For?

A fast and powerful programming language, Lua can help you build various applications in various areas, including web, game, and software development. Thanks to its growing prominence, learning how to use Lua can also create career opportunities in these fields. It's easy to use and integrates with other platforms, helping it become one of the most popular languages used for game development. Read on to discover more about Lua to determine if it’s the right language for you.

What is Lua programming?

Lua is a programming language that can be further classified as a scripting language. Scripting languages are programming languages that are relatively simple to use compared to other programming languages, requiring you to write fewer lines of code in addition to having a user-friendly syntax similar to JavaScript. The code you write in Lua provides instructions or commands that the program will execute one line after another.

Lua supports several types of programming, including object-oriented programming, procedural programming, data-driven programming, and functional programming. Lua also integrates well with other programming languages when developing applications to expand its capabilities. You can use Lua with C++, C, C#, Java, Fortran, Perl, Ruby, and Ada. 

History of Lua

In 1993, a team from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro created Lua, with the team publicly releasing version 1.1 the following year, in July 1994. Over the years, its popularity grew, allowing it to reach a variety of industries thanks to its high speed, portability, and simple data structure. Lua has regularly released new versions, with 5.4.6 being the latest, and its uses have evolved widely.

What is Lua used for?

You can use Lua for many purposes, with common use cases being image processing and developing web applications, software, and games. Lua’s nature as an embedded language means that rather than using it alone, you can implement Lua libraries with other programming languages to utilize its features for different types of applications. Here’s a look at spaces where Lua is making an impact.

Web applications

Multiple internet servers use Lua, including NGINX and Apache. By implementing Lua alongside C for web applications, you may simplify developing high-quality user interfaces, making this process more efficient and allowing you to focus resources on specific design components.

Software

Software programs in various spaces use Lua in their design process, including machine learning software, network diagnostic tools, user interface (UI) development solutions, communication servers, and customer relationship management (CRM) software.

Games

Lua is especially popular in the game development industry and is now a widely used programming language in this field. Games that use Lua in their development include Angry Birds, Far Cry, Roblox, Lego Universe, and World of Warcraft, among many others.

Image processing

Lua’s integration capabilities make it a great option for image processing. For example, Lua integrates with Microsoft Visual Studio to program smart cameras. Lua scripting also makes motion detection and time-lapse possible in digital cameras, or you can even use Lua for generative illustration.

Who uses Lua?

The list of industries using this scripting language is long, with uses for Lua seen in robotics, home automation, flight simulators, multimedia, embedded hardware, text editors, database management, education, integrated development environments, and more. Many well-known companies benefit from implementing Lua in their products. Game development companies such as Electronic Arts, tech companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Adobe, and even Disney and NASA have a history of offering consumer products featuring Lua in their development. 

Pros and cons of Lua

Lua has several features that make it beneficial to work with, such as simplicity and integration. However, a few challenges also exist, including more extensive debugging time. Here’s a closer look at the pros and cons of Lua:

Pros

• Lua is portable and can run on virtually all platforms, including Unix, Windows, IBM mainframes, iOS, and Android.

• It offers excellent embeddability to integrate it with other programming languages when developing applications.

• Lua ranks highly against other scripting languages in terms of speed of implementation and minimizing the amount of code you must write.

• Lua is a “small” language, meaning when you implement it with your applications, it doesn’t take up an excessive amount of memory.

• Memory management is simple in Lua. All allocation and deallocation of memory occurs automatically.

• As a free, open-source language, Lua allows you to experience all its benefits at no cost.

Cons

• Although automatic memory management in Lua has its benefits, one downside is that it doesn’t allow you to control memory usage.

• Debugging in Lua takes more time, as sometimes you may face challenges when identifying errors. Lua also requires you to use external debugging tools or tools within the host application since it doesn’t have its own debugger.

• The simplicity of Lua syntax means that it doesn’t offer some features and instead requires you to add extensions.

How to get started in Lua

When you're ready to begin developing your Lua programming skills, you have several options available. The first is connecting with and learning from other Lua users in the online Lua community, which features a mailing list. Also, you can participate in discussions on platforms such as Stack Overflow and Discord or attend Lua workshops or conferences.

Additionally, consider reading Programming in Lua, an in-depth introduction to Lua with information ranging from Lua fundamentals to advanced concepts, as well as sample code. The chief architect of Lua wrote this book specifically for those without any prior experience with Lua. However, having some previous programming experience can be helpful before you begin.

You may also find online courses where you can begin learning the basics of game development. Some may guide you through how to build interactive games while also practicing with Lua. 

Take the next step with Coursera

Lua is a popular programming language commonly used in game development. On Coursera, you can find highly-rated courses to develop your programming skills, including languages you may integrate with Lua when building applications. C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals from UC Santa Cruz is an introductory course, and no previous programming experience is required. Explore how to write simple programs, debug code, and more with this course.

Java Programming: Solving Problems with Software from Duke University is another option where you’ll have the opportunity to develop programming skills, design algorithms, and learn solutions to programming-related problems such as debugging.