OrBase registers its own .orb and .orun file types in the
Windows Registry. Write your code in a .orb file, declare its language
with --lang:, and double-click the matching .orun to run it — in any
of twelve languages. One tiny installer, zero background processes.
OrBase doesn't try to be an IDE, a launcher hub, or a shell replacement. It registers clean, predictable file associations the way Windows intends — through the Registry — and then gets out of your way.
OrBase's .orb and .orun types are written as native HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT ProgID entries — the same mechanism Windows itself uses for every file type on your system.
Your code lives in a .orb file; the .orun with the same name runs it — cool.orb is run by cool.orun. Double-click it in Explorer and OrBase executes the code with the language you declared.
Declare --lang: python, --lang: rust or any of twelve languages at the top of your .orb file. Missing the compiler or interpreter? OrBase asks you to download it.
Every key OrBase touches is visible in regedit and documented in the repository. You can inspect exactly what was written — and remove it just as easily.
One small OrbaseInstaller.pyw, no services, no tray icon, no scheduled tasks. And when you want it gone, a matching OrbaseUninstaller.pyw removes everything just as cleanly.
The full project lives at turkballbredissus/OrBase-File-Associater. Read the code, file issues, or send a pull request.
Every language runs through the same .orb / .orun
pipeline — just declare which one you're writing with a --lang:
directive at the top of the file.
OrBase does not auto-detect the language — declare it at the top of
your .orb file, e.g. --lang: python. If the language needs a
compiler or interpreter you don't have, OrBase asks you to download one.
No magic — just the documented Windows file-association model, applied to OrBase's own
.orb and
.orun file types.
The installer writes two new types into the Registry: .orb for your source code and .orun for running it. Both live as ProgID entries under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.
The .orb file opens in VS Code. Declare the language on the first line — e.g. --lang: python. OrBase never guesses the language; your declaration decides.
Double-click a .orun and it runs the .orb that shares its name — cool.orun runs cool.orb. OrBase saves a copy of the code to your temp folder, executes it with the declared language, then deletes the temp copy right after.
If a language needs a compiler or interpreter that isn't installed, OrBase asks you to download it. And when you're done with OrBase, OrbaseUninstaller.pyw removes the associations cleanly.
OrBase asks for administrator rights once, so you deserve to know exactly what it does with them. Every claim below can be checked by anyone, in minutes, with tools already on your PC.
The installer registers .orb and .orun and stops there. No drivers, no startup entries, no scheduled tasks, no browser extensions.
OrBase never sends anything anywhere. Your code runs locally, and the temp copy made for each run is deleted right after it finishes.
OrbaseUninstaller.pyw removes every key the installer created. You can also reassign the file types anytime in Windows Settings → Apps → Default apps.
Every part of OrBase is public on GitHub — the same code anyone can read, build and audit.
Don't take this page's word for it — these three checks take about five minutes.
The whole project lives at turkballbredissus/OrBase-File-Associater. If the code doesn't match what this page claims, open an issue.
After installing, open regedit and look at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.orb and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.orun — those are the keys OrBase creates.
Upload OrbaseInstaller.pyw to any scanner you like. Some antiviruses flag unsigned registry tools as a "potentially unwanted application" — see the FAQ for why that happens.
Download one executable, run it, and your file types are wired up. That's the entire process.
Grab OrbaseInstaller.pyw from the GitHub repository using the button below.
Launch it and approve the elevation prompt — Registry writes under HKCR require administrator rights.
Create a .orb file, declare your language with --lang:, and double-click its .orun to execute.
| Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit) |
|---|---|
| Privileges | Administrator (one-time, for Registry writes) |
| Disk space | A few megabytes for the installer itself |
| Editor | Visual Studio Code — required for .orb files (changeable later in Windows Settings → Apps → Default apps) |
| Runtimes | Only the languages you actually use — OrBase asks you to download a compiler or interpreter when one is missing |
Quick answers about how OrBase behaves on your system.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT exists for.
OrBase only creates the extension and ProgID keys for its own .orb and
.orun file types; it does not touch unrelated system settings. Everything it writes is visible in
regedit and documented in the GitHub repository.
--lang: <language> (for example --lang: python) at
the top of your .orb file. The declaration decides which interpreter or
compiler runs your code, which keeps execution predictable across all twelve
languages.
.orun only runs the .orb with the exact same
name — cool.orun runs cool.orb, nothing else. When you
open the .orun, OrBase saves a copy of your code to the temp folder,
executes it, and deletes that temp copy right after, leaving nothing behind.
--lang:. If your .orun runs code whose compiler or
interpreter is missing, OrBase asks you to download it.
.orb files open in Visual Studio Code, so you need it installed
for editing to work out of the box. If you don't have (or don't want) VS Code, you
can change which app opens .orb files in Windows Settings → Apps →
Default apps.
--lang: go,
--lang: rust or --lang: java at the top of the
.orb file. When the .orun runs, OrBase invokes the matching
toolchain — and asks you to download it if it isn't installed.
.orb /
.orun associations. You can also reassign the file types yourself in
Windows Settings → Apps → Default apps.