Creating a C Compiler From Scratch Video Course!

Learn to create your very own C compiler from scratch. In this course we develop a compiler that compiles a subset of the C Programming Language. By the time you finish all modules of this course you will be able to compile C programs that use pointers, structures, unions, arrays, functions, for loops, while loops. do while loops, if statements, switches and much more! This course includes all course modules!

Our compiler also has a preprocessor macro system allowing you to include header files and create definitions just like you would in any C file.

Your compiler is advanced enough to use the GCC standard library so we are able to call C functions from our compiler. Your compiler will be able to compile the C programming language.

This course does not rely on any frameworks we do everything from scratch to ensure the best possible learning experience for students

Module 1

In module 1 of this course we load our C source file that we wish to compile, into memory. We create a lexer to perform lexical analysis on the source input which will convert the source code into a bunch of tokens that our compiler can easily understand. We then pass the tokens through a parser to produce an abstract syntax tree. An AST describes the C program in a logical way that makes it easier for our compiler to understand. For example for the expression 50 + 20 you will end up with a root expression node that has a left operand that has a node of value 50 and a right operand that has a node of value 20. Breaking down problems in this way makes it much easier to create compilers.

Module 2 & 3

In module 2 and 3 of this course we create a code generator that produces 32 bit Intel assembly language that can then be passed through an assembler to produce a program binary that we can run. We also in this module create a resolver system which is responsible for taking a complicated expression such as "a->b.c.e[50] = 50" and breaking it down into simple steps and rules that our code generator can then easily follow. This abstraction is essential to ensure that the code generator does not become over complex. With the use of a resolver system we can ensure the code base remains clean.

Module 4

In module 4 of this course we create a preprocessor and macro system. This preprocessor system allows us to include header files in our C programs and also use a variety of macro keywords such as "#define" "#ifdef" , "sizeof" and many more.

Module 5

In module 5 we build a semantic validator which validates our C code. A semantic validator ensures that we are not setting variables that do not exist or accessing structures that aren't there.

This is the only video course in the world that shows you how to create a C compiler, come and learn today!