--- title: "Port: a minimalist prepl client for Emacs" url: https://daily.dev/posts/port-a-minimalist-prepl-client-for-emacs-hduonpn7a source_url: https://batsov.com/articles/2026/05/12/port-a-minimalist-prepl-client-for-emacs type: article source: "Bozhidar Batsov" published: 2026-05-12T07:38:53.938Z updated: 2026-05-12T07:39:18.261Z tags: ["clojure"] reading_time: 6 upvotes: 0 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Port: a minimalist prepl client for Emacs **[Bozhidar Batsov](https://daily.dev/sources/batsov)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Port is a new minimalist Emacs client for Clojure's built-in prepl protocol, created by the CIDER maintainer after exploring prepl support within CIDER proved too architecturally complex. Unlike CIDER, which is built on nREPL, Port connects directly to a stock Clojure JVM with no external REPL server required. The post explains the key architectural differences between prepl and nREPL (no bencode, no middleware, no sessions, no ops, no request IDs), and how Port works around the lack of request correlation using two sockets per session and a bootstrap form. Version 0.1.0 is available with basic REPL features including interactive evaluation, stacktrace navigation, find-definition, and doc helpers. The author concludes that nREPL remains the better protocol for editor tooling, but found the exercise educational. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [nREPL Forever](https://daily.dev/posts/nrepl-forever-rvhvow2fs) · Bozhidar Batsov · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Clojurists Together Update: May and June 2026](https://daily.dev/posts/clojurists-together-update-may-and-june-2026-ngmznmylq) · Meta Redux · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Lowering the Drawbridge](https://daily.dev/posts/lowering-the-drawbridge-ltz7wxmjy) · Meta Redux · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [neat: a language-agnostic nREPL client for Emacs](https://daily.dev/posts/neat-a-language-agnostic-nrepl-client-for-emacs-30zin9wrb) · Bozhidar Batsov · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#clojure](https://daily.dev/tags/clojure) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/port-a-minimalist-prepl-client-for-emacs-hduonpn7a)