Transkompilaators

Transkompilaators, also known as source-to-source compilers or transpilators, are software tools that translate source code written in one programming language into equivalent source code in another programming language. Unlike traditional compilers that translate source code into machine code or bytecode, transpilators operate at the source code level. This means the output of a transpilator is human-readable source code that can then be further processed by standard compilers or interpreted.

The primary motivation for using transpilators is often to leverage features or paradigms of a newer language while maintaining compatibility with existing systems or development environments. For example, a transpilator might convert code written in an older version of a language to a newer, more feature-rich version, or it might translate code from a language that lacks certain modern capabilities into one that supports them. This can be particularly useful for migrating legacy codebases or for enabling developers to use familiar programming styles with newer platforms.

Transpilation can also facilitate code sharing and cross-platform development. A single codebase written in a language that is not natively supported on a target platform can be transpiled into a language that is. Popular examples include transpilers that convert JavaScript to TypeScript, CoffeeScript to JavaScript, or C++ to WebAssembly. The process involves parsing the source code, performing semantic analysis, and then generating equivalent code in the target language, ensuring that the functional behavior of the original code is preserved.