Clang

Clang is a compiler frontend for the C family of languages, including C, C++, and Objective-C, and is part of the LLVM project. It translates source code into the LLVM intermediate representation (IR), which is then optimized and converted to machine code by the LLVM back end. Clang is designed to be highly compatible with GCC command-line options and behavior, while offering improved diagnostics and a modular architecture that supports tooling and analysis.

Clang provides a modern, fast compiler with helpful error and warning messages, and a wide range of language standards support, from traditional C89/C90 through C23 and C++11/14/17/20/23, depending on version. It includes a rich ecosystem of tools such as Clang-Tidy for static analysis and automated refactoring, Clang-Format for code formatting, and libclang, a stable C interface used by development tools. Sanitizers (AddressSanitizer, MemorySanitizer, ThreadSanitizer, UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer) are supported, enabling runtime checks with minimal overhead. The frontend integrates with the LLVM optimizer and code generators to produce optimized binaries for many targets.

Clang is released under a permissive license and is distributed as part of the LLVM project. It has become a popular choice for macOS and iOS development, various Linux distributions, and cross-platform toolchains, thanks to its diagnostics, modular design, and strong tooling support.