How compilers work

Conclusion

This article offered a brief look at how compilers parse and prepare source code. Keep in mind that not all compilers adhere to the approach described in this article. For example, one-pass compilers do without an internal representation of the code and generate the object code in a single pass. Also, the steps presented in this article sometimes do not occur in distinct phases but are, instead, interwoven.

Infos

  1. Compiler construction lecture notes (in German): http://www.staff.uni-giessen.de/~gc1079/
  2. Flex: https://github.com/westes/flex
  3. Bison: https://www.gnu.org/software/bison/

« Previous 1 2 3

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subs
Digisubs
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Perl: Parser

    Lexers and parsers aren’t only for the long-bearded gurus. We’ll show you how you can build a parser for your own custom applications.

    more »
  • Parrot

    Parrot is an all-in-one tool for developing and executing new programming languages. Perl 6 runs on Parrot; chances are your language can run on it, too.

    more »
  • Kconfig Deep Dive

    The Kconfig configuration system makes it easy to configure and customize the Linux kernel. But how does it work? We'll take a deep dive inside Kconfig.

    more »
  • Fuzz Testing

    Fuzzing is an important method for finding bugs and security vulnerabilities in software. Read on to find out what fuzzing is and which methods are commonly used today.

    more »
  • Oil Shell

    With its innovative scripting language, Oil, the Bash-compatible Oil shell aims to make life easier for script developers.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus