GNAT

GNAT (GNU Ada Translator) is the GNU project’s compiler and toolchain for the Ada programming language. It is part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and provides a complete Ada development environment, including the compiler, linker, runtime libraries, and a suite of auxiliary tools. GNAT translates Ada source code into executable code for a wide range of architectures and operating systems, and it supports Ada standards from Ada 83 through Ada 2012, with ongoing updates for newer profiles.

Originating as a separate project developed by Ada Core Technologies, GNAT was later adopted by the Free Software Foundation and integrated into GCC. As free software, GNAT is released under the GNU General Public License, with runtime components and accompanying libraries distributed as part of the same ecosystem. The compiler relies on GCC’s code generation capabilities, enabling cross-platform targets and integration with standard GNU development tools.

Key components of the GNAT toolchain include the gnat compiler, the gnatmake and gprbuild build tools, and the GNAT run-time library. The suite is designed for both desktop and embedded development, supporting cross-compilation for various architectures. An optional integrated development environment, GNAT Programming Studio (GPS), provides a graphical interface for GNAT-based projects, while many developers also use external IDEs or editor workflows.

GNAT is used in academia and industry alike, particularly in environments that value Ada’s strong typing, modularity, and built-in support for concurrency and real-time programming. It remains a central reference implementation of Ada within the GCC ecosystem and contributes to the language’s portability and longevity.