compilerdesign

Compiler design is the process of creating a program that translates programs written in a source language into another form, typically executable code for a target platform. A compiler typically consists of a front end, which analyzes the source language, and a back end, which generates target code. The front end handles lexical analysis (tokenizing input), syntactic analysis (parsing), and semantic analysis (type checking, scope resolution). It builds representations such as an abstract syntax tree or intermediate representation and may perform initial optimizations. The back end translates the intermediate representation to target-specific code, performing register allocation, instruction selection, scheduling, and optimization passes. It also handles runtime support, code emission, and linking considerations.

Intermediary representations, often in SSA form, enable portable optimizations that are independent of the target architecture. Common parsing approaches include LL and LR parsers, and many compilers use multi-pass pipelines to separate concerns and improve error reporting. Retargetable compilers can generate code for multiple architectures by abstracting machine specifics.

Toolchains and infrastructures such as LLVM, GCC, or other compiler-compilers (e.g., yacc/bison) provide reusable components for parsing, IR, and code generation. Design trade-offs involve balancing correctness, performance, error diagnostics, and portability, as well as deciding between ahead-of-time and just-in-time compilation. Modern compilers may integrate with virtual machines, support dynamic languages, and implement advanced optimizations such as interprocedural analysis, inlining, and vectorization.