# Vexu/arocc

A modern fully featured C compiler.

Repository: https://github.com/Vexu/arocc
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/arocc
Language: Zig
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: c, compiler, zig
Last push: 2026-08-18T20:05:19+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 76/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2015, "days_push": 15, "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 1802, forks 109 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:38.065520+00:00)

## What it is
Aro is a modern C compiler written in Zig that aims for fast compilation, low memory usage, and high-quality diagnostics, with support for C standards from C89 through C23 plus common GNU and Clang extensions. It works as a standalone compiler driver and as an embeddable Zig module, powering Zig's translate-c C frontend, while its native code generation backend is still under construction.

## Use cases
- compile C code
- parse C source files
- preprocess C headers and sources
- translate C headers to Zig
- check that C code conforms to C23 or earlier standards
- get clearer error messages when compiling C
- embed a C compiler frontend in a Zig-based tool
- replace gcc or clang for faster C compilation

## When to choose
- You need a fast, low-memory C frontend with good diagnostics for parsing, preprocessing, or semantic analysis
- You are building Zig tooling that must consume C code, such as translation or bindings generation
- You need up-to-date C23 standards support along with GNU and Clang extensions
- You want to integrate C compilation as a library inside your own build or analysis tools

## When to avoid
- You need a production-ready backend that emits optimized machine code for arbitrary targets today, since codegen is still under construction
- You need a drop-in replacement for GCC or Clang in existing production build pipelines
- You need C++ support - Aro only handles C
- You rely on the full warning sets of older standards like C11 and C17, which are not yet complete

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: compiler, parser, cli
- domain: compilers, programming-languages, parsers, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform, windows, cli
- tags: zig, c-compiler, c23, compiler-frontend, preprocessor, translate-c, diagnostics, gnu-extensions, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- Vexu/arocc (main) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:38.065520+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 2026-08-30T03:22:01.770651+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/Vexu/arocc (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:38.065520+00:00, sha 8bdd4c5c0741)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.