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LLVM Features
The LLVM compiler system for C and C++ includes the
following:
- Front-ends for C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, etc.
They support the ANSI-standard C and C++ languages.
Additionally, many GCC extensions are supported.
- A stable implementation of the LLVM instruction set, which serves
as both the online and offline code representation, together with assembly
(ASCII) and bytecode (binary) readers and writers, and a verifier.
- A powerful pass-management system that automatically sequences passes
(including analysis, transformation, and code-generation passes) based on
their dependences, and pipelines them for efficiency.
- A wide range of global scalar optimizations.
- A link-time interprocedural optimization framework with a rich set of
analyses and transformations, including sophisticated whole-program pointer
analysis, call graph construction, and support for profile-guided
optimizations.
- An easily retargetable code generator, which currently supports X86,
X86-64, PowerPC, PowerPC-64, ARM, Thumb, SPARC, Alpha, CellSPU,
MIPS, MSP430, SystemZ, WebAssembly and XCore.
- A Just-In-Time (JIT) code generation system, which currently supports
X86, X86-64, ARM, AArch64, Mips, SystemZ, PowerPC, and PowerPC-64.
- Support for generating DWARF debugging information.
- A profiling system similar to gprof.
- A test framework with a number of benchmark codes and applications.
- APIs and debugging tools to simplify rapid development of LLVM
components.
Strengths of the LLVM System
- LLVM uses a simple low-level language with
strictly defined semantics.
- It includes front-ends for C and
C++. Front-ends for
Java, Scheme, and other languages are in development.
- It includes an aggressive optimizer, including scalar, interprocedural,
profile-driven, and some simple loop optimizations.
- It supports a life-long
compilation model, including link-time, install-time, run-time, and
offline optimization.
- LLVM has full support for accurate
garbage collection.
- The LLVM code generator is relatively easy to retarget, and makes use of
a powerful target description language.
- LLVM has extensive documentation and has
hosted many projects of various sorts.
- Many third-party users have claimed that LLVM is easy to work with and
develop for. For example, the (now removed) Stacker front-end was written
in 4 days by someone who started knowing nothing about LLVM. Additionally,
LLVM has tools to make
development easier.
- LLVM is under active development and is constantly being extended,
enhanced and improved. See the status updates on the left bar to see the rate
of development.
- LLVM is freely available under an OSI-approved "Apache License Version 2.0" license.
- LLVM is currently used by many commercial, non-profit or academic entities, who contribute
many extensions and new features.
LLVM Audience
LLVM can be used in many different kinds of projects. You might be
interested in LLVM if you are:
- A compiler researcher interested in compile-time, link-time
(interprocedural), and runtime transformations for C and C++ programs.
- A virtual machine researcher/developer interested in a portable,
language-independent instruction set and compilation framework.
- An architecture researcher interested in compiler/hardware
techniques.
- A security researcher interested in static analysis or
instrumentation.
- An instructor or developer interested in a system for quick prototyping of
compiler transformations.
- An end-user who wants to get better performance out of your code.
Want to Know More?
You can browse the documentation online,
try LLVM in your web browser, or
download the source code.
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