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What is the next step after Nora Sandler's "Writing a C compiler"?

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70%Consensus Score — 2 models mostly agreed, with some nuance. Read the breakdown.

🔴Semantic Entropy — Highly divergent · 2 distinct meanings across 2 responsesH=100%

70%

consensus

Mostly aligned

How much the models agreed on this answer

High agreement — the answer is well-supported across models.

Models agree on

✓Extend the compiler with structs, arrays, and pointers
✓Introduce an Intermediate Representation (IR) for optimizations and backend flexibility
✓Study canonical compiler texts like the Dragon Book or *Engineering a Compiler*
✓Port the compiler to new targets like ARM64 or WebAssembly
✓Contribute to open-source compiler projects like LLVM or Rustc

After completing Nora Sandler's Writing a C Compiler, you have a solid foundation in building a minimal C compiler in Rust. The next steps depend on your goals, but here’s a consolidated roadmap based on shared and complementary insights:

1. Reinforce & Extend Your Compiler

·Add Language Features: Implement structs, arrays, pointers, and type qualifiers (const, volatile) to move from a toy subset to a more practical C compiler. Use the C99 spec or Nora’s repo for guidance.
·Introduce an Intermediate Representation (IR): Replace direct assembly emission with a simple IR (e.g., three-address code or SSA form) to decouple the front-end and back-end. This enables optimizations and prepares for integration with tools like LLVM.
·Optimizations: Start with basic passes like constant folding, dead-code elimination, and copy propagation. These can be implemented as single-pass sweeps over the IR.

2. Explore New Targets & Backends

·Port to Another ISA: Write a backend for ARM64, RISC-V, or WebAssembly. This teaches you how codegen maps IR to different instruction sets and opens doors to embedded or web development. Use official ISA manuals or LLVM backend tutorials.
·Integrate with LLVM: Emit LLVM IR instead of your own to leverage its optimization pipeline and codegen for multiple targets.

3. Dive Deeper into Compiler Theory

·Study Canonical Texts: Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (Dragon Book) or Engineering a Compiler (Cooper & Torczon) for advanced topics like parsing algorithms, type systems, and optimization.
·Systems Programming: Deepen your Rust skills with Programming Rust or The Rustonomicon, or explore low-level concepts with Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective (CS:APP).

4. Practical Applications & Community

·Contribute to Open-Source: Work on projects like rustc, LLVM, or Cranelift to gain real-world experience.
·Build Tooling: Create debuggers, profilers, or IDE plugins for your language.
·Join Communities: Engage with LLVM Discourse, Rust’s compiler team, or attend conferences like CPP or LangDev.

Alternative Paths

·Design a New Language: Apply your pipeline to a simpler language (e.g., a subset of Go or Rust) to explore different semantics.
·JIT Compilation: Replace your assembly emitter with LLVM’s ORC JIT or Cranelift for an interactive REPL.
·Standard Library: Implement a tiny libc (printf, malloc) to test your toolchain’s real-world usability.

Quick-Start Checklist

·Add struct parsing and type system support.
·Implement a basic IR and constant folding.
·Port your backend to ARM64 or WASM.
·Test with real hardware or emulators like QEMU.

Whether you aim for a more complete C compiler, deeper compiler theory, or practical systems work, focus on incremental steps that align with your interests.