The phases of a compiler are:
Lexical Analysis:
- Converts the source code into tokens, identifying basic units such as keywords, identifiers, and operators.
Syntax Analysis (Parsing):
- Analyzes the syntactic structure of the source code, creating a parse tree or abstract syntax tree to represent its grammatical structure.
Semantic Analysis:
- Checks the meaning of the source code, ensuring that it adheres to the language's semantics and performs type checking.
Intermediate Code Generation:
- Transforms the source code into an intermediate representation that is closer to machine code but still independent of the target machine architecture.
Code Optimization:
- Enhances the intermediate code to improve its efficiency, speed, or size, employing techniques such as constant folding, loop optimization, and dead code elimination.
Code Generation:
- Translates the optimized intermediate code into the target machine code or assembly language.
Code Linking and Assembly:
- Combines multiple compiled files, resolves references between them, and produces the executable code.
Code Optimization (Again):
- Applies additional optimizations on the generated code to further enhance performance.
Code Generation (Again):
- Generates the final machine code or executable from the optimized intermediate code.
Symbol Table Management:
- Manages information about identifiers, such as variables and functions, throughout the compilation process.
These phases collectively convert high-level source code into an efficient and executable form that can run on a target machine. Each phase plays a specific role in ensuring correct, optimized, and performant code generation.