30 C Compiler!

30cc (Pronounced as CCC, because in the Persian language, the number 30 is pronounced as C) is a toy C compiler written in C, which is strong enough to compile itself 🤝 This was my first attempt in writing a self-hosting software! What is a self-hosting software?

• Imagine 30cc gets strong enough to be able to compile itself.
• I will first compile 30cc with gcc to get the 30cc compiler’s binary.
• I will then use the gcc-generated 30cc binary file to compile the 30cc again.
• I now have a 30cc-compiled version of 30cc, which I can use for further developing the compiler!
• I can forget about gcc, as if it never existed! Beautiful hah? 30cc is now all alive by itself!

30cc emits x86-64 assembly as its output. The outputs are totally unoptimized, but that’s fine, the project aims to be educational.

Usage

Bootstrap the compiler by running make. This will generate 3 different versions of 30cc compiler:

1. 30cc_gcc which is the bootstrapped gcc-compiled version of 30cc
2. 30cc_30cc which is the output of gcc-compiled 30cc compiler, compiling the 30cc compiler
3. 30cc which is the output of 30cc-compiled 30cc compiler, compiling the 30cc compiler

Running independent source-files through make:

make run program=./examples/inp.c arguments=something

Contribute

Tests

To run tests use

python scripts/test.py update

Then check the output of the tests.

If you are on mac use ./scripts/test_mac.sh to run the tests in docker.