# rui314/8cc

A Small C Compiler

Repository: https://github.com/rui314/8cc
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/8cc
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2024-05-02T15:13:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5300, "days_push": 853, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6412, forks 765 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:43.208930+00:00)

## What it is
8cc is a small, self-hosting C compiler targeting x86-64 Linux, aiming to support C11 features with concise, readable source code. It is no longer actively developed; its successor is chibicc.

## Use cases
- learn how a C compiler works by reading its lexer, preprocessor, and parser
- study compiler implementation techniques in a small codebase
- compile C11 programs on x86-64 Linux
- use a self-hosting compiler as a testbed for compiler experiments
- compare a simple non-optimizing compiler against GCC output

## When to choose
- you want readable source code to learn compiler internals
- you need a minimal C compiler for x86-64 Linux
- you want to study self-hosting and bootstrapping techniques

## When to avoid
- you need an optimizing or production-grade compiler
- you need portability beyond x86-64 Linux
- you need reliable compilation of arbitrary C programs
- you need an actively maintained project - use chibicc instead

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: abandoned
- function: compiler, parser, developer-tools
- domain: compilers, programming-languages, developer-tools, education
- platform: cpp, cli
- tags: c-compiler, self-hosting, x86-64, c11, educational, small-compiler, linux

## Member repositories
- rui314/8cc (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.208930+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T08:31:20.600399+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/rui314/8cc (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:43.208930+00:00, sha 4af4bda66e5a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.