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Getting started with LLVM core libraries
Getting started with LLVM core libraries

Getting started with LLVM core libraries: Get to grips with LLVM essentials and use the core libraries to build advanced tools

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Getting started with LLVM core libraries

Chapter 2. External Projects

Projects that live outside the core LLVM and Clang repositories need to be separately downloaded. In this chapter, we introduce a variety of other official LLVM projects and explain how to build and install them. Readers only interested in core LLVM tools may skip this chapter or come back when required.

In this chapter, we will cover what are and how to install the following projects:

  • Clang extra tools
  • Compiler-RT
  • DragonEgg
  • LLVM test suite
  • LLDB
  • libc++

Beyond the projects covered in this chapter, there are two official LLVM projects outside the scope of this book: Polly, the polyhedral optimizer, and lld, the LLVM linker, which is currently in development.

Prebuilt binary packages do not include any of the external projects presented in this chapter, except for Compiler-RT. Therefore, unlike the previous chapter, we will only cover techniques that involve downloading the source code and build them ourselves.

Do not expect the same level of maturity as that of...

Introducing Clang extras

The most noticeable design decision of LLVM is its segregation between backend and frontend as two separate projects, LLVM core and Clang. LLVM started as a set of tools orbiting around the LLVM intermediate representation (IR) and depended on a hacked GCC to translate high-level language programs to its particular IR, stored in bitcode files. Bitcode is a term coined as a parody of Java bytecode files. An important milestone of the LLVM project happened when Clang appeared as the first frontend specifically designed by the LLVM team, bringing with it the same level of quality, clear documentation, and library organization as the core LLVM. It is not only able to convert C and C++ programs into LLVM IR but also to supervise the entire compilation process as a flexible compiler driver that strives to stay compatible with GCC.

We will henceforth refer to Clang as a frontend program rather than a driver, responsible for translating C and C++ programs to the LLVM IR...

Using the DragonEgg plugin

As explained earlier, LLVM started as a project that was dependent on GCC when it still lacked its own C/C++ frontend. In those instances, to use LLVM, you needed to download a hacked GCC source tree called llvm-gcc and compile it in its entirety. Since the compilation involved the full GCC package, it was a very time-consuming and tricky task, requiring knowledge of all the necessary GNU lore to rebuild GCC by yourself. The DragonEgg project appeared as a clever solution to leverage the GCC plugin system, separating the LLVM logic in its own and much smaller code tree. In this way, the users no longer needed to rebuild the entire GCC package, but just a plugin, and then load it into GCC. DragonEgg is also the sole project under the LLVM project umbrella that is licensed under GPL.

Even with the rise of Clang, DragonEgg persists today because Clang only handles the C and C++ languages, while GCC is able to parse a wider variety of languages. By using the DragonEgg...

Summary

The LLVM umbrella is composed of several projects; some of them are not necessary for the main compiler driver to work but are useful tools and libraries. In this chapter, we showed how one can build and install such components. Further chapters will explore in detail some of those tools. We advise the reader to come back to this chapter again for build and install instructions.

In the next chapter, we will introduce you to the design of the LLVM core libraries and tools.

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Description

In today’s fast-paced world of change, companies expect you to do more, with less. Drawing on over a decade of Change Management experience as a consultant with Fortune 500 companies including IBM and NCR, Emily Carr shares the secrets to making change happen smoothly.

What you will learn

  • Configure, build, and install extra LLVM open source projects including Clang tools, static analyzer, CompilerRT, LLDB, DragonEgg, libc++, and LLVM testsuite
  • Understand the LLVM library design and interaction between libraries and standalone tools
  • Increase your knowledge of source code processing stages by learning how the Clang frontend uses a lexer, parser, and syntax analysis
  • Manipulate, generate, and play with LLVM IR files while writing custom IR analyses and transformation passes
  • Write tools to use LLVM JustinTime (JIT) compilation capabilities
  • Find bugs and improve your code by using the static analyzer
  • Design source code analysis and transformation tools using LibClang, LibTooling, and the Clang plugin interface

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Publication date : Aug 26, 2014
Length: 314 pages
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Language : English
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Publication date : Aug 26, 2014
Length: 314 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781782166931
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LLVM Cookbook
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Getting started with LLVM core libraries
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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. Build and Install LLVM Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. External Projects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Tools and Design Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. The Frontend Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. The LLVM Intermediate Representation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. The Backend Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. The Just-in-Time Compiler Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Cross-platform Compilation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. The Clang Static Analyzer Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Clang Tools with LibTooling Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.3
(18 Ratings)
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4 star 22.2%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 11.1%
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mahdi hamzeh Oct 31, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
A book like this has been well overdue. A well written book which presents enough information to start hacking llvm.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Moslem Dec 05, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Very useful book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Volker Floeder Nov 29, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent book to get started with LLVM.Beginning with very basic things like getting the source code and the original documentation to let you build everything from scratch, the book quickly lets you dig into various parts of the toolchain, enabling you to use parts of them for your own purposes.However, the book uses the 3.4 version, giving some hints regarding the actual 3.5 version - so if you want to walk through the book without surprises, I recommend to use the 3.4 version of LLVM first and update later. - Be aware, that if you bootstrap the toolchain, your current compiler might also have some impact on how smoothly you get through the build process.So if you want to install LLVM and get a good understanding of how the various parts work together then this is the book that you have been waiting for.However, I also recommend it If you are looking for a book that lets you get a deeper insight of various central mechanisms and data-structures of LLVM, just skip the very basic parts.Well, I have learned a lot, so I definitely recommend it!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Sandeep Dasgupta Nov 30, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
One of the problems that I faced with the online tutorials is that many of them are not updated to the recent version and the information seems to be scattered and there is no clear guidance on where to start from. This book is the first of its kind to give the most updated information also covering up the most basic requirement. Also it is a very good tutorials for learning llvm IR as it explains that with many good choozen examples. For those interested in learning the back end of the compiler this book is an excellent start.Overall i liked this book because of the depth it covers with good lucidity.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Devchandra Meetei L Oct 25, 2014
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
One of much needed book on LLVM,For a long time, It was felt that book is required. I have been keep delaying learning LLVM/clang.Prima facie, This gives me in succinct way on conquering LLVM. But will keep updated on the coverage later
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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