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 608 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Languages

C++

Tools

LLVM

Concepts

Programming Language

Author (1):

Quentin Colombet

View More author details

Table of Contents (29) Chapters

Preface

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. 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. Introduction to the Backend

14. Getting Started with the Backend

15. Getting Started with the Machine Code Layer

16. The Machine Pass Pipeline

17. 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. Final Lowering and Optimizations

23. Instruction Scheduling

24. Register Allocation

25. Lowering of the Stack Layout

26. Getting Started with the Assembler

27. Other Books You May Enjoy

28. Index

Hands-On Debugging LLVM IR Passes

Before we start diving into machine intermediate representation (IR), which is the topic of the next chapter, we thought it was important to provide an overview of the tools the LLVM project offers so that you can debug your compiler.

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to do the following:

Leverage the logging mechanisms that LLVM offers to debug your passes
Reduce test cases using the tools provided by the LLVM infrastructure
Enable the sanitizers to identify memory leaks, memory corruptions, or undefined behavior
Interact with the LLVM code base through a debugger

You’ll be able to use this knowledge as a guideline when you’re tackling your first compiler issues. This knowledge should also boost your productivity as a lot of the tasks that you must perform to work with a compiler can be automated or sped up by leveraging the tools that will be presented in this chapter.