Rust Compiler

A complete compiler implementation in Rust that compiles a custom C-like language to bytecode and executes it on a stack-based virtual machine.

Architecture

Source Code → Lexer → Parser → Semantic Analyzer → IR Generator → Bytecode Generator → VM

Pipeline Stages

1. Lexer - Converts source text into tokens
2. Parser - Builds Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) from tokens
3. Semantic Analyzer - Performs type checking and validates scopes
4. IR Generator - Transforms AST into intermediate representation
5. Bytecode Generator - Compiles IR to compact bytecode with jump patching
6. Virtual Machine - Executes bytecode using stack-based architecture

Language Features

Types: int, bool, string, void

Control Flow: if/else, while, return

Operators:

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %
• Comparison: ==, !=, <, <=, >, >=
• Logical: &&, ||, !

Functions: Parameters, return values, recursion support

I/O: print() statements

Example Program

fn fibonacci(n: int) -> int {
    if (n <= 1) {
        return n;
    } else {
        return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
    }
}

fn main() -> int {
    print(fibonacci(10));
    return 0;
}

Usage

cargo build --release
cargo run --release examples/program.lang

Project Structure

src/
├── main.rs          # Entry point and compilation pipeline
├── token.rs         # Token types and definitions
├── lexer.rs         # Lexical analysis
├── ast.rs           # Abstract syntax tree structures
├── parser.rs        # Recursive descent parser
├── semantic.rs      # Type checking and validation
├── ir.rs            # Intermediate representation
├── bytecode.rs      # Bytecode generation
└── vm.rs            # Virtual machine execution

Implementation Details

• No external compiler libraries - Built from scratch
• Stack-based VM - Simple and efficient execution model
• No LLVM dependency - Pure Rust implementation
• Bytecode format - Compact with jump offset patching
• Call stack - Full function call support with local variables

Requirements

• Rust 2024 edition
• No external dependencies

Tested Examples

• Factorial (recursion)
• Fibonacci sequence
• Loop summation
• Arithmetic expressions
• Conditional logic