I constantly write full-blown applications and engines in AWK: small, with minimal memory requirements and runs like a bandit. Truly one of the most ingenious and practical programming languages ever made, and with AWKA it can be compiled into a machine code binary executable for anywhere from 20 to 100% increase in speed.

The AWK programming language book by the authors of the language, featured here many times:

https://archive.org/download/pdfy-MgN0H1joIoDVoIC7/The_AWK_P...

AWKA:

https://github.com/noyesno/awka