Architecture Overview

NyxLang is structured as a multi-phase compiler with clear boundaries between parsing, semantics, IR, and code generation.

Module responsibilities

• main.zig: entrypoint (CLI, file loading, coordinating compilation)
• c11.l / c11.y: C11 lexer/parser (tokenize + parse into AST)
• ast.zig: AST definitions (syntax structure, no typechecking)
• semanticAnalyzer.zig: semantic validation/type checks, produces errors
• scope.zig: lexical scope tracking, symbol resolution strategy
• variables.zig: variable metadata (storage class, offsets, lifetime decisions, etc.)
• builtin.zig: builtin functions/types inserted into the environment
• 3ac.zig: IR generation (Three Address Code)
• assembler.zig: RV32 lowering + emitting assembly
• build.zig: build orchestration

Design principles

Phase separation

• Parser builds structure (AST) only.
• Semantic pass checks meaning (types, declarations, legality).
• IR pass focuses on lowering into explicit operations.
• Backend is target-specific (RV32 instruction selection + calling convention).

Explicitness in IR

3AC exists to make implicit AST details explicit:

• temporaries for intermediate values
• branches/labels for control flow
• explicit loads/stores and address computations

Errors

Prefer errors as early as possible:

• parsing errors for grammar violations
• semantic errors for type/scope issues
• backend errors only for unsupported lowering cases