Clang Compiler Frontend: Get to grips with the internals of a C/C++ compiler frontend and create your own tools - Ivan Murashko

This book, "Clang Compiler Frontend: Get to grips with the internals of a C/C++ compiler frontend” – is your Clang reference that will help understand the tool’s inner mechanisms and explore its capabilities to the fullest. I wanted to teach LLVM basics and understand how to install procedures and other development tools critical for optimizing the use of Clang. Building up this strong base, you will further decode all the internal workings and features of Clang, how they integrate into the LLVM project, and become an essential part of it.

You will find out what defines the compilation process and the different options for improving it, such as C++ modules and header maps. Furthermore, you will learn about many more approaches to static code analysis with multiple options, such as clang-tidy for linting and other kinds of code manipulations. Through practical examples and hands-on exercises in the book "Clang Compiler Frontend: Get to grips with the internals of a C/C++ compiler frontend,” the prolonged title emphasizes what you are going to achieve – not just understanding the peculiarities of Clang but developing new custom-made tools that are intended for a single project, as well as enhancing one’s fluency in programming generally and efficiency in particular to a level you have never even dreamed of reaching.

Clang Compiler Frontend: Get to grips with the internals of a C/C++ compiler frontend Table of Contents:

1. Chapter 1: Environment Setup
2. 1.1 Technical requirements
3. 1.2 Getting to know LLVM
4. 1.3 Source code compilation
5. 1.4 Test project – syntax check with a Clang tool
6. 1.5 Summary
7. 1.6 Further reading
8. Chapter 2: Clang Architecture
9. 2.1 Technical requirements
10. 2.2 Getting started with compilers
11. 2.3 Clang driver overview
12. 2.4 Clang frontend overview
13. 2.5 Summary
14. 2.6 Further reading
15. Chapter 3: Clang AST
16. 3.1 Technical requirements
17. 3.2 AST
18. 3.3 AST traversal
19. 3.4 Recursive AST visitor
20. 3.5 AST matchers
21. 3.6 Explore Clang AST with clang-query
22. 3.7 Processing AST in the case of errors
23. 3.8 Summary
24. 3.9 Further reading
25. Chapter 4: Basic Libraries and Tools
26. 4.1 Technical requirements
27. 4.2 LLVM coding style
28. 4.3 LLVM basic libraries
29. 4.4 Clang basic libraries
30. 4.5 LLVM supporting tools
31. 4.6 Clang plugin project
32. 4.7 Summary
33. 4.8 Further reading
34. Chapter 5: Clang-Tidy Linter Framework
35. 5.1 Technical requirements
36. 5.2 Overview of Clang-Tidy and usage examples
37. 5.3 Clang-Tidy’s internal design
38. 5.4 Custom Clang-Tidy check
39. 5.5 Summary
40. 5.6 Further reading
41. Chapter 6: Advanced Code Analysis
42. 6.1 Technical requirements
43. 6.2 Static analysis
44. 6.3 CFG
45. 6.4 Custom CFG check
46. 6.5 CFG on Clang
47. 6.6 Brief description of Clang analysis tools
48. 6.7 Knowing the limitations of analysis
49. 6.8 Summary
50. 6.9 Future reading
51. Chapter 7: Refactoring Tools
52. 7.1 Technical requirements
53. 7.2 Custom code modification tool
54. 7.3 Clang-Tidy as a code modification tool
55. 7.4 Code modification and Clang-Format
56. 7.5 Summary
57. 7.6 Further reading
58. Chapter 8: IDE Support and Clangd
59. 8.1 Technical requirements
60. 8.2 Language Server Protocol
61. 8.3 Environment setup
62. 8.4 LSP demo
63. 8.5 Integration with Clang Tools
64. 8.6 Performance optimizations
65. 8.7 Summary
66. 8.8 Further reading
67. Appendix 1: Compilation Database
68. 9.1 Compilation database definition
69. 9.2 CDB creation
70. 9.3 Clang tools and a CDB
71. 9.4 Further reading
72. Appendix 2: Build Speed Optimization

Who is this course for?

1. Experienced C++ software engineers
2. Experts in compiler design for engineers who have not previously designed a compiler
3. People interested in the Clang tool that is used in the Apple system and programming configuration

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