Teaching myself a compiler 📚

👋 These are the collection of resources I used to study compilers in my spare time. It is still evolving as I continue to learn.

• Stanford Compiler

• Princeton Compiler

  These two courses, when combined, serve as an introduction to the compiler.
  The video lectures from Stanford are heavily weighted on the front-end part.
  And since I want to learn LLVM along with compiler theory, I instead did the assignments in the Princeton class.
  It covers more materials from Stanford but lacks video lectures. 6 assignments involve building an ML-like compiler in C++.
  

  • Lexical analysis with Flex
  • Parsing with Bison
  • Code generation using LLVM IR Builder (this is fun !)
  • Instrumenting code with LLVM Pass (Edge and Block Profiler)
  • SuperBlock Formation

• Building the LiveOak-3 (Java-like) programming language

  As a part of my graduate coursework, I built an object-oriented language and got
  a chance to hand-code an LL(1) Recursive Descent Parser - oh, it was beautiful once done (but I cannot share !).
  Also, code generation with Stack Machine was a pain in debugging and made me appreciate LLVM IR Builder.
  

• Engineering a Compiler - I read this back-to-back and found that I couldn't get a good grasp of compiler optimization and back-end development without lectures.

Current

  The compiler optimization and backend are cool - currently, this is just my feeling. 
  I'm going to validate that.

• Compiler Optimization - Sorav, Bansal - IIT Delhi

  I like his teaching style. And the playlist is comprehensive.

• Compiler Optimization by U of Toronto | videos

  This course has assignments using LLVM covering

  • LLVM Pass
  • Dataflow Analysis framework
  • Loop-Invariant Code motion

  I believe it is modeled after the course from Carnegie Mellon (assignments are pretty much the same). I will do the assignments, but prefer to have the lecture from IIT (I like the pace there more).

• Cornell CS6120 This one is more like a graduate-level seminar + lectures. I plan to do this last as it involves exploring with paper. But the guy teaching it looks cool.

Books

Here are the books I have beside me