Full analysis of Golang compiler: understand the characteristics of mainstream compilers in one article

With the continuous development and popularity of Go language, more and more developers are beginning to try to use Go language for development. As a statically typed programming language, the performance and stability of the Go language compiler are directly related to the developer's experience.

In the current market, there are three mainstream Go language compilers: Go compiler, gccgo and LLVM-go. This article will provide a comprehensive analysis of these three compilers to help readers understand the characteristics and usage scenarios of each compiler.

1. Go compiler

The Go compiler is the official compiler released by the Go language and is currently one of the most widely used compilers. The compiler has its own characteristics and advantages, which mainly include the following points:

1. Fast speed: Compared with other compilers, the Go compiler has faster compilation speed. This is due to its concurrent compilation mechanism, which can compile multiple files at the same time, improving compilation efficiency.
2. Strong portability: The Go compiler supports compilation on multiple platforms and can generate executable files. It can be called on multiple operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.
3. Support cross-compilation: The Go compiler supports cross-compilation, which can run the generated binary file on one CPU architecture and run the program on a machine with another CPU architecture.

2. gccgo compiler

The gccgo compiler is a Go compiler based on GCC and is also part of the GNU project. gccgo has its own characteristics and advantages:

1. Strong compatibility with C/C: gccgo can be mixed with C/C code, and can be further optimized using GCC and GCC's optimizer.
2. Performance advantages in specific scenarios: For some specific scenarios, such as embedded devices with small memory usage, scenarios that require the use of C STL, etc., the gccgo compiler has certain performance advantages.
3. Does not support cross-compilation: Unlike the Go compiler, gccgo does not support cross-compilation. Programs can only be compiled and run on the same CPU architecture.

3. LLVM-Go compiler

The LLVM-GO compiler is a Go compiler based on LLVM. The features and advantages of this compiler mainly include the following two aspects:

1. Strong parallel capabilities: LLVM-GO supports the use of multiple CPU cores for compilation, which can greatly improve the compilation speed.
2. Strong optimization capabilities: LLVM-GO has strong optimization capabilities and can use the excellent LLVM optimizer library for more efficient code generation.

However, because the compiler is written based on LLVM, it has the following shortcomings:

1. Insufficient compatibility with C/C code: Due to the lack of LLVM support for C/C code C code compatibility, so there are some problems when mixing with C/C code.
2. Currently in the experimental stage: Since LLVM-Go is still in the experimental stage, its stability and breadth need to be further improved compared to the Go compiler and gccgo compiler.

Generally speaking, the Go compiler is currently the most widely used Go language compiler, with the advantages of fast compilation speed, strong portability, and support for cross-compilation. The gccgo compiler and LLVM-GO compiler have certain performance and advantages in specific scenarios. Therefore, when choosing a compiler, developers need to make a choice based on their own needs and scenarios.

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