Alternatives

Products that do what Self Hosting C Compiler does

This is my hobby C compiler project. Decided to publish the code today, as it finally compiled itself. The readme on the linked GitHub page has a bit of information on how it works. I wrote the thing for fun, but if anyone gets a better understanding of the dark corners of C because of it, I am happy.

1. 1MO
   My own C compiler (just for fun)▲175

   2016 · github.com

2. 2AW
   A work-in-progress C compiler from scratch▲159

   2021 · github.com

3. 3FA
   Fork, a toy self-hosting language and compiler that compiles to C▲58

   2018 · github.com

4. 4HT
   How to write a tiny compiler▲224

   2017 · blog.klipse.tech

5. 5SH
   ShivyC – Hobby C compiler created in Python▲120

   2018 · github.com

6. 6CO
   Check out my new blog on software development.▲5

   First tutorial to date. Writing your first C program, includes a link at the bottom with a detailed look at printf() as optional reading. I would love some feedback, as I intend writing up a lot of dev articles for people to learn from : www.xanthu.com/first-c-program

   2013

7. 7AS
   A simple way to write standalone C programs for i386▲147

   2019 · github.com

8. 8AM
   A minimal C runtime for Linux i386 and x86_64 in 87 SLOC of C▲172

   2015 · github.com

9. 9SV
   Simple virtual machine, assembler, and C compiler▲99

   2016 · github.com

10. 10MF
    Minimal freestanding C runtime for bare-metal/embedded PC projects▲97

    2015 · github.com

11. 11WM
    Writing my first interpreter in C for fun▲109

    2016 · github.com

12. 12NC
    Nanosecond C message logger▲131

    Hello, Some time ago I did a data logger for fun, just to check if I could beat the performance of an old C++ project of mine (mini-async-log) and to avoid letting my multithreading-C skills rust when on a non-programming gig (using Yocto/OE, very little programming). This project is a BSD licensed, producer-wait-free (when using thread-local storage) generic message logger with high performance, decent test coverage, and type-safe C strings (requires C11 or C++ compiler). It was a shame to let this project to die unknown, as I think that it has potential to be used on some niches as…

    2019

13. 13CA
    CJIT, a single-binary C compiler that can self host▲7

    CJIT started as a hobby project around Fabrice Bellard’s tinyCC and slowly grew into something much more practical. It is now a small portable C compiler and runner that works across Linux, macOS, and Windows, can self host, and is packaged as a single executable. What mattered most to me was keeping the barrier to entry low. You can take one small binary, drop it onto a system, and compile or run C code using the libraries already available there, without setting up a full toolchain or installing a large stack of dependencies. I find that useful for quick prototyping, testing, auditing,…

    Apr 2026 · dyne.org

14. 14YY
    Yupp, yet another C preprocessor▲26

    2015 · github.com

15. 15WC
    WIP C compiler in Go, inspired by 8cc▲60

    2015 · github.com

16. 16CA
    Chibicc – A Small C Compiler▲22

    2020 · github.com

17. 17BY
    Build your own programming language in C++▲94

    2021 · github.com

18. 18AM
    A Modern C/C++ build tools (Simple, Fast, Cross-platform)▲89

    2019 · xmake.io

19. 19CU
    Compiler using Lisp’s macro system for metaprogramming C-like languages▲80

    2018 · github.com

20. 20CS
    C Style - my favorite C programming practices▲5

    2013 · github.com

21. 21SH
    Self-hosted stack-based programming language▲86

    2015 · github.com

22. 22AC
    A compiler for a small language into x86-64 assembly▲74

    2020 · github.com

23. 23GA
    Greg – a simple “cal” clone written in C▲60

    2020 · greg-calendar.vercel.app

24. 24BA
    Built a tiny interpreter from scratch in C to understand how they work▲5

    Hi HN, I'm the author. I built this project for two simple reasons: I've always used higher-level languages and wanted to finally understand what's happening "under the hood" of an interpreter. I also wanted a real project to force me to "power up" my C skills, especially with manual memory management and reference counting. The result is ToyForth, a minimal interpreter for a Forth-like language, written from scratch in C, stack-based. I focused on making the code clean and understandable. It's broken down into a few simple parts: A parser that turns source text into a list of objects…

    Nov 2025 · github.com

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