Ortac: Runtime Assertion Checking for OCaml (tool paper)

Jean-Christophe Filliâtre (1) , Clément Pascutto (2, 1)

1 TOCCATA - Formally Verified Programs, Certified Tools and Numerical Computations
2 Tarides [Paris]

Runtime assertion checking (RAC) is a convenient set of techniques that lets developers abstract away the process of verifying the correctness of their programs by writing formal specifications and automating their verification at runtime. In this work, we present ortac, a runtime assertion checking tool for OCaml libraries and programs. OCaml is a functional programming language in which idioms rely on an expressive type system, modules, and interface abstractions. ortac consumes interfaces annotated with type invariants and function contracts and produces code wrappers with the same signature that check these specifications at runtime. It provides a flexible framework for traditional assertion checking, monitoring misbehaviors without interruptions, and automated fuzz testing for OCaml programs. This paper presents an overview of ortac features and highlights its main design choices.

Keywords: Runtime Assertion Checking; OCaml; Software Engineering

Domains: Logic in Computer Science [cs.LO]; Computer Science [cs]

Jean-Christophe Filliâtre, Clément Pascutto. Ortac: Runtime Assertion Checking for OCaml (tool paper). 2021. ⟨hal-03252901v1⟩