Brainfuck Compiler

An efficient Brainfuck-to-C compiler written in Python, featuring parsing, loop optimizations, dead-code elimination, and C code generation for fast execution.

Features

• Parsing & Tokenization: Reads standard Brainfuck code (+ - < > . , [ ]) and ignores all other characters.
• Instruction Simplification: Merges consecutive increments/decrements and pointer moves.
• Loop Optimization: Detects common patterns (e.g., [-]) and replaces them with direct memory operations.
• Dead Code Elimination: Removes redundant assignments and combines operations on the same cell.
• C Code Generation: Translates optimized commands into readable, portable C code.
• Customizable Tape: Defaults to a 10,000‐cell tape with adjustable starting pointer offset.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or higher
• A C compiler (e.g., gcc, clang)

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/BehradTabatabaee/BF-Compiler.git
   cd BF-Compiler

2. (Optional) Create a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv env
   source env/bin/activate

Usage

Compile a Brainfuck file (.bf) to C:

python compiler.py path/to/program.bf path/to/output.c

Compile the generated C:

gcc -O2 path/to/output.c -o ./program 

Run your program:

./program

Example

Given a Brainfuck file hello.bf:

++++++++[>++++[>++>+++>+++>+<<<<-]>+>+>->>+[<]<-]>>.>---.+++++++..+++.>--.<<+.>++.
------.--------.>+.>.

Generate and build:

python compiler.py hello.bf hello.c
gcc -O2 hello.c -o ./hello
./hello
# Output: Hello World!

How It Works

1. Parsing: Removes non‐command characters and builds a command stream.

2. Optimization Pass:

   • Linear Merging: Combines successive +/- and </> into single operations.
   • Loop Simplification: Transforms patterns like [-] into direct cell assignment cell = 0.
   • Multiply‐Add Detection: Converts nested loops that transfer values into tape[dest] += tape[src] * factor operations.
   • Dead Code Elimination: Removes overwritten assignments and redundant adds.

3. Code Generation: Walks the optimized command list to emit clean C, using while (*ptr) for loops and direct pointer arithmetic.

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.