.LUAC File Extension

Lua is a lightweight programming language developers use to add features to existing programs written in C and other languages. Developers write and save Lua programs in LUA files. After they've finished writing a program, developers can use the Lua compiler (luac) to transform their plain text LUA file into a binary LUAC file. This allows other programs to load and execute the Lua program more quickly.

VideoLAN VLC media player, a popular open-source media player, includes a number of LUAC files. They are found in sub-folders of VLC's lua folder. For example, VLC's lua/​playlist folder contains a number of LUAC files that allow VLC to stream video and audio content from various websites, such as YouTube and Twitch. Third-party VLC add-ons sometimes come packaged in LUAC files, as do fixes for VLC's existing Lua-based features.

LUAC files are not meant to be opened. To use a LUAC file as a VideoLAN VLC media player extension, put it in the correct sub-folder of VLC media player's lua folder. For example, if you have downloaded a LUAC file meant to allow you to stream content from a website, place that file in VLC media player's lua/​playlist folder.