Anvil

A TypeScript-to-native compiler with an LLVM backend, written in TypeScript.

Anvil parses a subset of TypeScript, lowers it through a high-level IR, emits LLVM IR, and links against the Perry runtime to produce native executables.

Why

Anvil exists as the self-hosting test for the Perry compiler. Perry (written in Rust) compiles TypeScript to native code. Anvil is itself written in Perry-compatible TypeScript — so when Perry can compile Anvil, and Anvil can compile programs, the toolchain has passed the "King's Test" of compiler maturity.

Architecture

source.ts
  → Scanner → Parser → AST
  → Lowerer → HIR (typed intermediate representation)
  → Codegen → LLVM IR (.ll)
  → clang → object file (.o)
  → cc + libperry_runtime.a → native executable

Stage	Key files
Lexer	src/parser/scanner.ts, src/parser/token.ts
Parser	src/parser/parser.ts
HIR & lowering	src/hir/ir.ts, src/hir/types.ts, src/hir/lower.ts
Codegen	src/codegen/compiler.ts, src/codegen/expr.ts, src/codegen/stmt.ts
LLVM IR builder	src/llvm/module.ts, src/llvm/block.ts, src/llvm/function.ts
Driver & linker	src/driver/compile.ts, src/driver/linker.ts
Runtime stubs	src/stubs.c

Values are represented using NaN-boxing (src/codegen/nanbox.ts), matching the Perry runtime's encoding.

Supported features

• Variables (let, const, var)
• Functions and arrow functions
• Closures
• Classes with constructors, methods, and fields
• Const enums
• Control flow (if/else, while, for)
• Arithmetic, comparison, logical, bitwise, and unary operators
• Strings and string methods
• Arrays and array methods (push, pop, shift, splice, slice, length)
• Objects and field access
• Maps
• Multi-file compilation with import/export resolution
• console.log, console.error, console.warn

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm
• clang (for compiling LLVM IR to object files)
• libperry_runtime.a — build it from the Perry project:

  cd ../perry && cargo build --release -p perry-runtime
  

Usage

npm install

# Compile a TypeScript file to a native executable
npx ts-node src/main.ts myfile.ts -o myfile

# Keep the generated LLVM IR for inspection
npx ts-node src/main.ts myfile.ts --emit-ll -o myfile

# Specify a custom runtime path
npx ts-node src/main.ts myfile.ts --runtime /path/to/libperry_runtime.a -o myfile

# Run built-in tests (Phase 0-1, pre-parser)
npx ts-node src/main.ts --test hello --emit-ll -o output
npx ts-node src/main.ts --test arithmetic --emit-ll -o output
npx ts-node src/main.ts --test strings --emit-ll -o output
npx ts-node src/main.ts --test functions --emit-ll -o output
npx ts-node src/main.ts --test control --emit-ll -o output

License

MIT