cxx-frontend is a work-in-progress compiler frontend for C++23
The compiler frontend is designed to be a powerful tool for developers, enabling them to parse, analyze, and modify C++ source code. This project aims to provide a robust foundation for building a complete C++ frontend, staying up-to-date with the latest language features and standards.
The API Reference is available at https://robertoraggi.github.io/cplusplus/docs/
For updates, improvements, and recent features in cxx-frontend, please consult the Changelog.
Syntax Analysis: APIs to scan, preprocess, parse, and inspect the syntax of source code, making it a versatile tool for various code analysis tasks.
Multi-Language Support: In addition to C++, the library provides APIs for TypeScript and JavaScript.
C++-23 Support: Latest language enhancements, syntax, and features (WIP).
Storybook and CodeMirror are used to demonstrate how to create a syntax checker and navigate the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST)
https://robertoraggi.github.io/cplusplus/
To integrate the latest stable version of the C++ Compiler Frontend bindings into your project, you can install them from npm:
npm install cxx-frontend
Once installed, you can use the bindings in your Node.js or web projects as needed.
These projects are pre-configured and serve as starting points for various use cases.
For Node.js
npx degit robertoraggi/cplusplus/templates/cxx-parse cxx-parse
cd cxx-parse
npm install
node .
For web-based applications, use these commands to clone, set up, and start a development server:
npx degit robertoraggi/cplusplus/templates/cxx-browser-esm-vite cxx-browser-esm-vite
cd cxx-browser-esm-vite
npm install
npm run dev
# prepare the package
npm ci
# compile WASM and TypeScript code
npm run build:cxx-frontend
npm ci
npm run build:wasi
# run the C++ front end CLI tool using wasmtime
wasmtime \
--mapdir=/::build.wasi/install \
--mapdir tests::tests \
build.wasi/install/usr/bin/cxx.wasm -- \
tests/manual/source.cc -ast-dump
On Linux, macOS and Windows:
# install the python packages required to run the unit tests (optional)
pip install -r tests/unit_tests/requirements.txt
# configure the source code
cmake . \
-G Ninja \
-B build \
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
-DCXX_INTERPROCEDURAL_OPTIMIZATION=1
# build
cmake --build build
# run the unit tests
cd build
ctest --progress
Use -emit-ast to serialize the AST of a C++ program to a flatbuffer binary file
# serialize the AST
$ ./build/src/frontend/cxx -emit-ast source.cc -o source.ast
You can use any flatbuffers supported decoder to read the AST, e.g.
# Use flatc to dump the AST to JSON
$ ./build/_deps/flatbuffers-build/flatc --raw-binary -t build/src/parser/cxx/ast.bfbs -- source.ast
$ ll source.*
source.ast source.cc source.json
Copyright (c) 2025 Roberto Raggi roberto.raggi@gmail.com
Licensed under the MIT license.