👉 The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a suite of compilers that translate high-level programming languages, primarily C and C++, into machine code for various target architectures. At its core, GCC performs a series of complex computations to bridge the gap between human-readable source code and executable machine instructions. The process begins with lexical analysis, where the source code is broken down into tokens; this is followed by parsing, which constructs an abstract syntax tree (AST) from these tokens to understand the program's structure. The next phase, semantic analysis, checks the code for logical errors and ensures type correctness. Then comes optimization, where GCC applies various techniques to improve the efficiency of the generated machine code without altering its functionality. Finally, the code generation phase translates the optimized AST into assembly code, which is subsequently translated into machine code by the linker. Throughout these steps, GCC employs sophisticated algorithms and data structures to handle complex tasks like instruction selection, register allocation, and code scheduling, ensuring efficient and correct compilation across diverse platforms.
