https://github.com/thep1geon/nomi
The Nomi Compiler Project. What's starting as a compiler written in Zig will eventually be a self-hosted compiler with a custom assembler and linker all written in Nomi. The plan is to write an OS one day with my own toolchain, everything written from scratch by me.
https://github.com/thep1geon/nomi
compiler wip zig ziglang
Last synced: 12 months ago
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The Nomi Compiler Project. What's starting as a compiler written in Zig will eventually be a self-hosted compiler with a custom assembler and linker all written in Nomi. The plan is to write an OS one day with my own toolchain, everything written from scratch by me.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/thep1geon/nomi
- Owner: thep1geon
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-05-19T14:21:25.000Z (about 1 year ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-07-06T15:16:19.000Z (12 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-07-06T16:29:10.706Z (12 months ago)
- Topics: compiler, wip, zig, ziglang
- Language: Zig
- Homepage: https://github.com/thep1geon/nomi
- Size: 60.5 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Nomi
## The State of Nomi
Right now, Nomi is in its very early stages of development, and everything is subject
to change. Any questions can be asked here on GitHub or through email,
hauptmaverick@gmail.com.
## About
I've been wanting to write a compiler for a very long time now, and this is my
first honest attempt at it. I've decided to pivot from making a C compiler to just
starting with my own language. I want to keep C compatiblity and interop, but the
language will look more high level than C. I'm going for a Zig-esque language but
handcrafted. Not there is anything wrong with Zig or that I feel like I can make
a better Zig, but I want to append / amend C. The plans are evolving, but there
are a few things I want to implement into my take on a language with heavy inspiration
from C:
- [ ] **Interfaces**
- [ ] **Better type system to allow for things like generics without macros**
- [ ] Optionals builtin to the language
- [ ] Better error system (errors as types)
- [ ] Slices
- [ ] **Defer**
- [ ] Custom backend (for shits and giggles)
*Note: the ones in bold are more important to me*
Of course the first compiler for my language (which I have yet to name) will be
written in Zig. But there are definitely plans to helf-host my language and bootstrap
the compiler.
Everything will be written from scratch only relying on the Zig standard library.
Though, there will not be any effort to make this cross-platform. This project is
purely for learning and will jumpstart future ideas of writing an OS in this
language one day.
## TODO List
- [x] Better printing of compiler types (~Location~, ~ast~, ~Token~)
- [x] Rework how the AST is represented internally
- [ ] Improve error system for compiler internals.
- [ ] Start work on IR layer to abstract frontend and backend
- [ ] Semantic Analysis
- [ ] Type system
- [ ] External functions from Nomi (written in FASM) (extern func sys_exit(i32) void;)
- [ ] Start work on user declared functions and calling user declared functions
- [ ] More types ("Strings", specific integer types)
- [ ] Variables
- [ ] Functions which takes args
- [ ] Hello, World! (No libc)
- [ ] x86_64-Linux Backend
- [ ] x86-Freestanding Backend
## Getting Started
### Dependencies
- Zig v0.14.1
- Fasm v1.73.32
- ld linker v2.44.0
### Building the Compiler
To get started with using the compiler, for what very little it can do right now,
you need to first build the compiler. You can build the compiler with this command:
```bash
zig build # Build the compiler
```
### Using the Compiler
```bash
./zig-out/bin/nomic main.nom main.o # Run the compiler and output as main.o
ld main.o -o main # Link main.o to an ELF executable
./main # Run the newly compiled executable
echo $? # to see the exit code of main
# The output should be 42 if main.nom was not updated
```
There are plans to rework this process. But this is the simplest way of handling
it so far. The compiler will output a straight executable eventually, don't worry
## What can the compiler do right now?
Currently, the compiler only supports one function being in a file. Within that
function, you can call external functions (nothing is checked yet) which take one
argument which is a number with a bit-width greater than 32. We don't link with libc,
so the only functions you can call are the ones hardcoded in the assembly file
generated behind the scenes before it's assembled by the compiler.
The compiler will emit an object file for you to link yourself. There are plans
to change this in the future, but this lets me do something else before I introduce
compiling multiple files or mixing files and object files. Basically, everything
in the compiler will improve at once. We have to allow for more options to parsed
and then we can emit an executable file. But this is not much of a priority right now.
## What's in a name?
### Noh-mee
The name Nomi comes from a few different places. Most notably, it is heavily
inspired by my girlfriend's nickname, _Nemo_. Nomi is a loose combination of her
nickname and her real name. Nomi also has a few meanings I think are very neat.
The two meanings that stand out to me are beautiful (Hebrew and Japanese) and ocean (Japanese).
Both meanings are perfect and accurately reflect her and her names.
A motto I've come up with is: "Built from beauty for power"
## LICENSE
The Nomi project is licensed under the MIT License and everything it says.