Xcc700: Self-hosting mini C compiler for ESP32 (Xtensa) in 700 lines
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 >…
Xcc700: Self-hosting mini C compiler for ESP32 (Xtensa) in 700 lines launched on December 26, 2025 with 154 votes, #181 of 11,628 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches.
In plain words
Xcc700 is a minimal C compiler written in 700 lines that runs on ESP32 microcontrollers using the Xtensa architecture. It uses single-pass recursive descent compilation to generate executable ELF binaries that work with ESP-IDF's loader, with enough features to compile itself. Built for hobbyists and embedded projects, it simplifies the Xtensa CPU as a stack machine without register allocation and runs on Mac and Linux for cross-compilation to ESP32.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
mini C compiler for esp32 / Xtensa. Contribute to valdanylchuk/xcc700 development by creating an account on GitHub.
./xcc700 xcc700.c -o xcc700.elf [ xcc700 ] BUILD COMPLETED > OK > IN : 700 Lines / 7977 Tokens > SYM : 69 Funcs / 91 Globals > REL : 152 Literals / 1027 Patches > MEM : 1041 B .rodata / 17120 B .bss > OUT : 27735 B .text / 33300 B ELF [ 40 ms ] >> 17500 Lines/sec << Note: that timing is from esp32-s3. Timings on Mac/POSIX will be reported 1000x slower than they are, as on esp32 ticks are millisecond, and on POSIX microsecond, but there is no adjustment here. A. Compile with gcc xcc700.c and run it on your computer as a cross-compiler. It is fairly portable, tested on Mac x86_64 and arm64. B. Compile for esp32 using xtensa-gcc or xcc700 from the option A (yes it can compile and cross-compile…from github.com
In the maker’s words, at launch
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…
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