You're reading from LLVM Code Generation A deep dive into compiler backend development

Product type Paperback

Published in May 2025

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781837637782

Length 620 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Languages

C++

Tools

LLVM

Concepts

Programming Language

Author (1):

Quentin Colombet

View More author details

Table of Contents (30) Chapters

Preface

1. Part 1: Getting Started with LLVM

2. Building LLVM and Understanding the Directory Structure FREE CHAPTER

3. Contributing to LLVM

4. Compiler Basics and How They Map to LLVM APIs

5. Writing Your First Optimization

6. Dealing with Pass Managers

7. TableGen – LLVM Swiss Army Knife for Modeling

8. Part 2: Middle-End: LLVM IR to LLVM IR

9. Understanding LLVM IR

10. Survey of the Existing Passes

11. Introducing Target-Specific Constructs

12. Hands-On Debugging LLVM IR Passes

13. Part 3: Introduction to the Backend

14. Getting Started with the Backend

15. Getting Started with the Machine Code Layer

16. The Machine Pass Pipeline

17. Part 4: LLVM IR to Machine IR

18. Getting Started with Instruction Selection

19. Instruction Selection: The IR Building Phase

20. Instruction Selection: The Legalization Phase

21. Instruction Selection: The Selection Phase and Beyond

22. Part 5: Final Lowering and Optimizations

23. Instruction Scheduling

24. Register Allocation

25. Lowering of the Stack Layout

26. Getting Started with the Assembler

27. Unlock Your Book’s Exclusive Benefits

28. Other Books You May Enjoy

29. Index

A word on APIs

In this chapter, we will discuss a few APIs. You will likely find that these references are too few and imprecise to be able to leverage them properly.

This is by design!

We believe we expose enough of them to give you an overview of what you need and that you can figure the rest out by yourself/with the support of the community.

In other words, these references give you an entry point in the relevant APIs, and you should be able to extract what you need from there.

Do not worry – there are plenty of resources to help you in your survey of the APIs.

First, chances are you are using an integrated developer environment (IDE) that can help you navigate these APIs. In other words, by only knowing the main classes you can work your way around.

Second, the whole LLVM code base is documented in Doxygen.

Doxygen

Doxygen is a documentation tool that allows the production of rich documentation experiences from comments in the source...