Is hhvm free to use? What license does it have?

hhvm is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is hhvm still maintained?

Actively maintained. The last commit to hhvm was on Nov 5, 2026.

What can I use hhvm for?

Running Hack-based web applications in production. Executing standalone Hack scripts from the command line. Serving Hack sites behind nginx or Apache via FastCGI.

How do I install hhvm?

Install a prebuilt package from the official docs Or compile HHVM from source following the building guide Run a standalone Hack program: hhvm example.hack

Where can I get hhvm?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/meta/hhvm

meta/hhvm

A virtual machine that executes programs written in Hack, using just-in-time compilation for performance.

View on GitHub Website

Stars: 18,681
Forks: 3,064
Open issues: 560
Last commit: 2 days ago

What is it?

HHVM is an open-source virtual machine for running programs written in Hack, a language developed for PHP-style web development. It uses a just-in-time (JIT) compilation approach to speed up execution while keeping development flexible.

HHVM can run standalone scripts by passing a file to the hhvm command. For websites, it is typically paired with a web server: either the built-in Proxygen server, or a FastCGI setup on top of nginx or Apache.

The project includes prebuilt packages and build-from-source instructions, and it is licensed under the PHP and Zend licenses, with the Hack typechecker and Hack Standard Library under MIT.

Key features

01Executes Hack programs through a JIT-compiled virtual machine.
02Can run standalone scripts directly from the command line.
03Includes the built-in Proxygen web server for hosting sites.
04Supports FastCGI integration with nginx and Apache.
05Ships prebuilt packages and supports building from source.

Use cases

Running Hack-based web applications in production.
Executing standalone Hack scripts from the command line.
Serving Hack sites behind nginx or Apache via FastCGI.

Quick start

1
Install a prebuilt package from the official docs
2
Or compile HHVM from source following the building guide
3
Run a standalone Hack program
hhvm example.hack

Things to know

No single package-manager install command is given in the README; you must use a prebuilt package or build from source.
The license is mixed: PHP and Zend licenses for HHVM itself, with MIT for the Hack typechecker and standard library.
It runs Hack programs, so it is only useful if you write or plan to write Hack.

In collections

Compilers, transpilers & programming languages

Topics

#hack#php #virtual-machine #jit #compiler #web-server#hacklang#hhvm

FAQ

What is hhvm?: A virtual machine that executes programs written in Hack, using just-in-time compilation for performance. HHVM is an open-source virtual machine for running programs written in Hack, a language developed for PHP-style web development. It uses a just-in-time (JIT) compilation approach to speed up execution while keeping development flexible.
Is hhvm free to use? What license does it have?: hhvm is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is hhvm still maintained?: Actively maintained. The last commit to hhvm was on Nov 5, 2026.
What can I use hhvm for?: Running Hack-based web applications in production. Executing standalone Hack scripts from the command line. Serving Hack sites behind nginx or Apache via FastCGI.
How do I install hhvm?: Install a prebuilt package from the official docs Or compile HHVM from source following the building guide Run a standalone Hack program: hhvm example.hack
Where can I get hhvm?: The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/meta/hhvm

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.