Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to TOCC – A Tiny DFA to C Compiler

A DFA(Deterministic finite automata) and NFA to C compiler and Visualiser - TOCC/README.md at master · LakshyAAAgrawal/TOCC

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. TOCC – A Tiny DFA to C Compiler launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   A compiler and VM for a simple language, in 150 lines of code▲200

   A complete compiler for a simple language (in less than 150 LoC) - 00_readme.md

   2022 · gist.github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   A compiler for a small language into x86-64 assembly▲74

   Compiler for a small language into x86-64 Assembly - MauriceGit/compiler

   2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3SA
   Sheng, a Small but Fast Deterministic Finite Automaton▲5

   Deterministic Finite Automata (DFA, subsequently) are a fundamental structure. Most state machines that programmers build are some variant on a DFA, whether they are built by jumping around inside a switch statement or moving from state to state in a table structure. They have uses all over the plac

   2018 · branchfree.org · its alternatives →

4. 4
   A work-in-progress C compiler from scratch▲159

   Programming language that compiles into a x86 ELF executable. - riicchhaarrd/ocean

   2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Lambda-8cc – An x86 C compiler written in untyped lambda calculus▲249

   x86 C compiler written in untyped lambda calculus. Contribute to woodrush/lambda-8cc development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   How to write a tiny compiler▲224

   Write your own compiler: introduction. Code genetation. AST. Abstract syntax tree. lisp. javascript.

   2017 · blog.klipse.tech · its alternatives →

7. 7CV
   CFR[]: Very minimal drawing language with 5 commands: C, F, R, [, ]▲176

   2023 · susam.net · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Lisp with copying GC in 537 lines of C (plus Lisp 1.5 on top)▲152

   Moved to Forgejo! Contribute to krig/LISP development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   TinyGo – LLVM-based Go compiler for microcontrollers▲177

   Go compiler for small places. Microcontrollers, WebAssembly (WASM/WASI), and command-line tools. Based on LLVM. - tinygo-org/tinygo

   2018 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    A simple garbage collector for C▲192

    Simple, zero-dependency garbage collection for C. Contribute to mkirchner/gc development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2019 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Kent Dybvig's Scheme Machine in 400 Lines of C (Heap-Memory Model)▲226

    Heap based scheme machine. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

    2025 · gist.github.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Nibble▲102

    An attempt at a single pass LLVM frontend in ~3000 lines of C without external dependencies, malloc, or an AST. Included are some graphical examples. The IR isn't perfect, and the README touches on one particular downfall

    May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    C to Go Assembly▲98

    C to Go Assembly. Contribute to minio/c2goasm development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Ultra Tiny Compiler in less than 90 lines of code▲61

    Ultra Tiny Compiler. Contribute to antonmedv/ultra-tiny-compiler development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2016 · github.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Chan – pure C implementation of Go channels▲150

    Pure C implementation of Go channels. Contribute to tylertreat/chan development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Xcc700: Self-hosting mini C compiler for ESP32 (Xtensa) in 700 lines▲154

    Repo: https://github.com/valdanylchuk/xcc700 Hi Everyone! I just wrote my first compiler! - single pass, recursive descent, direct emission - generates REL ELF binaries, runnable using ESP-IDF elf_loader - very basic features only, just enough for self-hosting - treats the Xtensa CPU as a stack machine for simplicity, no register allocation / window usage - compilable on Mac, probably also Linux, can cross-compile for esp32 there - wrote for fun / cyberdeck project Sample output from esp32: xcc700.elf xcc700.c -o /d/cc.elf [ xcc700 ] BUILD COMPLETED >…

    Dec 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    MiniLang▲8

    A compiled type-safe C successor

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Tiny – An interpeted dynamic langauge with inline Go native functions▲41

    A lightweight programming language built with Go. Contribute to confh/Tiny development by creating an account on GitHub.

    Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

19. 19GI
    Going into freshman year, figured I should build an interpreter▲138

    Hi all! I'm going into my freshman year, and figured that the best way to prepare for the intro to programming Racket course would be to implement my own garbage-collected, dynamically typed, functional programming language in C ;) Anyways... here's the repo: https://github.com/liam-ilan/crumb I started learning C over the summer, so I still have a whole lot to learn... Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! :D

    2023 · its alternatives →

20. 20CI
    Cpi – Immediately compile and execute c++ program like a scripting lang▲65

    Tiny c++ interpreter

    2017 · treefrogframework.github.io · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Pascal to LLVM Compiler in Haskell▲61

    A Pascal to LLVM compiler in Haskell . Contribute to sam46/Paskell development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2020 · github.com · its alternatives →

22. 22CA
    Computation at Compile-Time now free online▲57

    2017 · billsix.github.io · its alternatives →

23. 23
    A 16-bit Forth machine written in VHDL▲80

    Yet Another Forth Core... Contribute to inforichland/yafc development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Vtcc, Tiny C Compiler translated to V▲5

    V's builtin C translation is very powerful. vtcc is the Tiny C Compiler translated to V via `v translate`: https://t.co/37aVNHoRxM It works great and can even be used to bootstrap V!

    2024 · twitter.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →