Understand what a compiler does

Time: About 150 minutes: 40 reading, 80 lab, 20 testing, 10 notes.
Prerequisites: None. Start here.

Toolchain: LLVM 17

Use your LLVM 17 clang++, llvm-as and opt for book exercises, by explicit path. Use the matching archived documentation. Do not mix headers, libraries or plugins with your current-main build. Setup guide

Learn

Source code, frontend, intermediate representation, optimizer, backend, assembler and linker.

Read Reading

R1 · Learn LLVM 17, Second Edition
Chapter 2: compiler building blocks · 25 min
R3 · Crafting Interpreters
Introductory compiler overview · 15 min

Reading budgets cover selected sections, not whole chapters. Link to the book; this site does not reproduce it.

Build Build or investigate

Use the pipeline commands in the setup section on a five-line C++ function.
Save preprocessed source, LLVM IR, assembly and an object file.
Write one sentence explaining each output.

Done when

A pipeline note and four output files; distinguish compiling from linking.

Recall question

Why can the same frontend support more than one processor?

Optional

Inspect the driver commands with clang++ -###.

Optional work never counts toward completion.

Completion checks

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Notes

Saved only in this browser. Keep it short enough to finish in ten minutes; none of the prompts are required. All notes, export and import