Forth to x86-64 Assembly Compiler

Overview

This project implements a minimal Forth-like compiler that reads a .forth program and generates x86_64 assembly code which can be compiled and executed on Linux systems.

The compiler parses basic arithmetic operations and print commands, generating corresponding assembly instructions.

Features

• Supports pushing integers to the stack.
• Supports addition (+).
• Supports print (.) — outputs the top of the stack.
• Generates valid assembly code for x86_64 architecture.
• Can be assembled and linked using gcc or as/ld.

Files

• compiler.py — the Forth to assembly compiler.
• program.forth — sample Forth program.
• output.s — generated assembly code.
• output — compiled executable (after running gcc).

Example Forth Code (program.forth)

3 4 + .

Expexted output: 7

How to Use
1. Write your Forth program in program.forth.
2. Generate assembly: python3 compiler.py program.forth output.s
3. Compile the assembly to an executable:gcc output.s -o output
4. Run the program: ./output

How It Works

The compiler performs these steps:
Reads the Forth source code and tokenizes it.
Translates numbers into immediate mov instructions or prepares them for stack-like operations.
Generates assembly for addition (+) and output (.) using printf.
Writes out .text and .rodata sections in valid x86-64 assembly format.
You can compile the generated assembly using gcc or another assembler.
:
Example Workflow
python3 compiler.py program.forth output.s
gcc output.s -o output
./output

Output: 7


Current Limitations

Only addition is supported (+).
Only integer printing (.).
No variables, no loops or conditionals.
Stack size is managed at compile time, no dynamic stack.
Minimal error handling.

Possible Extensions

If time permits:
Add subtraction (-) and multiplication (*).
Add basic variables.
Add stack underflow checks.
Support for more complex Forth features like loops or if/else.
Author

Levon Ghukasyan