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GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) Internals

GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) Internals

This manual documents the internals of the GNU compilers, including how to port them to new targets and some information about how to write front ends for new languages. It corresponds to GCC version 3.2. The use of the GNU compilers is documented in a separate manual. See section `Introduction' in Using the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).

This manual is mainly a reference manual rather than a tutorial. It discusses how to contribute to GCC (see section 1. Contributing to GCC Development), the characteristics of the machines supported by GCC as hosts and targets (see section 2. GCC and Portability), how GCC relates to the ABIs on such systems (see section 3. Interfacing to GCC Output), and the characteristics of the languages for which GCC front ends are written (see section 4. Language Front Ends in GCC). It then describes the GCC source tree structure and build system, some of the interfaces to GCC front ends, and how support for a target system is implemented in GCC.

Additional tutorial information is linked to from http://gcc.gnu.org/readings.html.

1. Contributing to GCC Development		How to contribute to testing and developing GCC.
2. GCC and Portability		Goals of GCC's portability features.
3. Interfacing to GCC Output		Function-call interface of GCC output.
4. Language Front Ends in GCC		Languages for which GCC front ends are written.
5. Source Tree Structure and Build System		GCC source tree structure and build system.
6. Passes and Files of the Compiler		Order of passes, what they do, and what each file is for.
7. Trees: The intermediate representation used by the C and C++ front ends		The source representation used by the C and C++ front ends.
8. RTL Representation		The intermediate representation that most passes work on.
9. Machine Descriptions		How to write machine description instruction patterns.
10. Target Description Macros and Functions		How to write the machine description C macros and functions.
11. Host Configuration Headers		Writing the `xm-machine.h' file.
12. Makefile Fragments		Writing the `t-target' and `x-host' files.
13. collect2		How collect2 works; how it finds ld.
14. Standard Header File Directories		Understanding the standard header file directories.

Funding Free Software		How to help assure funding for free software.
The GNU Project and GNU/Linux

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE		GNU General Public License says how you can copy and share GCC.
GNU Free Documentation License		How you can copy and share this manual.
Contributors to GCC		People who have contributed to GCC.

Option Index		Index to command line options.
Index		Index of concepts and symbol names.