I Built A Programming Language From Scratch At 16

# I Built a Programming Language From Scratch at 16

Welcome! In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of creating your own programming language from scratch. At the age of 16, I embarked on this exciting journey and learned valuable lessons that I now share with you.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the details, ensure you have the following tools installed:

1. Docker CE: Version 5.0.8 or later (installation guide)
2. Git: Latest version (installation guide)
3. Rust Programming Language: Version 1.50 or later (installation guide)
4. YAML Ain’t Markup Language (YAML): Already installed by default if you have Python 3.x

Building Your Programming Language

Let’s break down the process into manageable steps:

1. Initial Setup

Create a new directory for your project and navigate to it in your terminal:

mkdir my-language && cd my-language

2. Dockerfile Configuration

Create a Dockerfile in the root of your project with the following content:

FROM rust:stable AS builder
WORKDIR /project
COPY . .
RUN rustup install nightly --default
RUN cargo install cargo-clippy
RUN rustc --version
RUN cargo clippy check

CMD ["cargo", "run"]

This Dockerfile sets up a Rust development environment within the container.

3. Configuring Cargo.toml

Create a Cargo.toml file in the root of your project:

[package]
name = "my-language"
version = "0.1.0"
authors = ["Your Name <your.email@example.com>"]
edition = "2021"

[dependencies]
# Add any necessary dependencies here

4. Creating Your Language’s Grammar

Create a new file src/grammar.rs. This will be the core of your language where you define its syntax and semantics using Rust.

5. Writing the Parser

Next, write the parser for your language in src/parser.rs. The parser takes the input source code (text) and breaks it down into a parse tree, which represents the structure of the program according to your language’s grammar.

6. Implementing Semantics

After parsing the source code, you’ll need to implement semantic analysis in src/semantic.rs. This involves checking the parse tree for errors and producing abstract syntax trees (ASTs).

7. Generating Code

Finally, generate executable code from the AST in src/codegen.rs. You can use Rust’s built-in compiler to produce various outputs such as LLVM IR or assembly language.

8. Building and Running Your Language Interpreter

Build your project using the following command:

docker build -t my-language .
docker run --rm my-language

You can now write simple programs in your new programming language and test them by running the Docker container.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues, double-check that all dependencies are correctly specified, and make sure your code follows Rust’s syntax and conventions. Consult the official Rust documentation for further assistance.

Conclusion

Creating a programming language from scratch is an enlightening experience that offers invaluable insights into compilers and interpreters. With this guide, you’ll be well on your way to building your own self-hosted, infrastructure-focused automation tool. Embrace the challenge and expand your DevOps skills with open-source projects like these!