A Code Generation Interface for ANSI C is a retargetable, production compiler for ANSI C; versions for the VAX, the Motorola 68020 and MIPS have been in use for over a year and a half. It is smaller and faster than generally available alternatives, and its local code is about as good. This report describes the interface between the target-independent front end and the target-dependent back ends. The interface consists of shared data structures, a few functions, and a dag language. While this approach couples the front and back ends tightly, it results in an efficient, compact compiler. The interface is illustrated by detailing a complete code generator that emits naive VAS code.

This technical report has been published as

A Code Generation Interface for ANSI C. David R. Hanson and Christopher W. Fraser, Software--Practice and Experience 21(9) (1991) 963-988.