Compilers from edX

The course lectures will be presented in short videos. To help you master the material, there will be in-lecture questions to answer, quizzes, and two exams: a midterm and a final. There will also be homework in the form of exercises that ask you to show a sequence of logical steps needed to derive a specific result, such as the sequence of steps a type checker would perform to type check a piece of code, or the sequence of steps a parser would perform to parse an input string. This checking technology is the result of ongoing research at Stanford into developing innovative tools for education, and we're excited to be the first course ever to make it available to students.

An optional course project is to write a complete compiler for COOL, the Classroom Object Oriented Language. COOL has the essential features of a realistic programming language, but is small and simple enough that it can be implemented in a few thousand lines of code. Students who choose to do the project can implement it in either C++ or Java.

I hope you enjoy the course!

What you'll learn

Everything that computers do is the result of some program, and all of the millions of programs in the world are written in one of the many thousands of programming languages that have been developed since the 1950’s. Designing and implementing a programming language turns out to be difficult; some of the best minds in computer science have thought about the problems involved and contributed beautiful and deep results. Learning something about compilers will show you the interplay of theory and practice in computer science, especially how powerful general ideas combined with engineering insight can lead to practical solutions to very hard problems. Knowing how a compiler works will also make you a better programmer and increase your ability to learn new programming languages quickly.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Examines the interplay of theory and practice in computer science, especially how general ideas can lead to practical solutions

Helps learners become better programmers and increase their ability to learn programming languages

Taught by Alex Aiken who are recognized for their work in computer science

Teaches skills, knowledge, and tools that are highly relevant to industry

Teaches skills, knowledge, and tools that are useful for personal growth

Optional course project to write a complete compiler for COOL, the Classroom Object Oriented Language

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Compilers with these activities:

Organize and review your notes and materials

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Stay organized and ensure you're prepared for exams and assessments by keeping your notes and materials up-to-date.

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Review your notes after each lecture
Organize your notes into a logical structure
Create summaries of key concepts
Practice explaining concepts to yourself

Read 'Compilers: Principles, Techniques, & Tools'

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Reinforce the concepts covered in the course by reading this classic textbook on compiler design and implementation.

View Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools on Amazon

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Read one chapter per week
Take notes and highlight important concepts
Solve the exercises at the end of each chapter

Review concepts of object-oriented programming

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Get up to speed with OOP concepts like encapsulation and polymorphism before diving into compiler design and implementation.

Browse courses on Object-Oriented Programming

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Read an introductory article on OOP
Go through an online tutorial on classes, objects, and inheritance
Practice writing simple OOP programs in a language like Java or Python

Six other activities

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Follow a tutorial on compiler construction

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Deepen your understanding of compiler implementation by following a guided tutorial that covers the different stages of compilation.

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Choose a tutorial that aligns with your skill level and interests
Set aside dedicated time each week to work on the tutorial
Complete all the exercises and assignments included in the tutorial
Apply the concepts learned in the tutorial to your own compiler projects

Solve compiler design and implementation exercises

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Test your understanding of compiler techniques and algorithms by solving practice exercises.

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Find a collection of compiler design and implementation exercises online
Set aside regular time for practice
Attempt to solve the exercises on your own

Help other students in the course

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Solidify your understanding by explaining concepts to other students and answering their questions.

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Join the course discussion forum
Monitor the forum for questions
Provide clear and helpful answers to questions

Create a blog post or video on a compiler-related topic

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Deepen your understanding of compiler concepts by explaining them to others.

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Choose a compiler-related topic that you're interested in
Research the topic thoroughly
Write a blog post or create a video explaining the topic in a clear and engaging way
Share your content with others

Build a simple compiler for a toy language

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Gain hands-on experience in compiler construction by creating a compiler for a toy language.

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Choose a toy language to implement
Design the grammar and semantics of the toy language
Write the code for the compiler
Test the compiler on various input programs
Document your design and implementation

Contribute to an open-source compiler project

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Enhance your understanding of compiler internals and contribute to the community by participating in an open-source compiler project.

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Find an open-source compiler project that interests you
Identify an area where you can contribute, such as bug fixes or feature enhancements
Submit your contributions to the project
Collaborate with other contributors to improve the project

Career center

Learners who complete Compilers will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Software Developer

A Software Developer, also known as a Computer Programmer, creates and maintains applications. They design, write, and test programs to improve the efficiency of an organization or to solve a specific problem. A compiler is a computer program used to translate programming code from one computer language to another. This course teaches foundational knowledge about how compilers are designed and implemented. By knowing the principles, languages, and techniques behind compilers, Software Developers will be able to write better systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Developer

Computer Programmer

Computer Programmers write, test, and maintain the code that makes computers work. They design, develop, and implement software applications and systems. This course can help Computer Programmers understand the theory and implementation behind compilers, giving them a deeper understanding of how compilers work and how to write more efficient and secure code.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Programmer

Software Engineer

Software Engineers design, develop, and maintain software systems. They work with stakeholders to understand the requirements of the system and design a system that meets those requirements. This course can help Software Engineers write more efficient and secure code by understanding how compilers work and how to optimize their code.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer

Software Architect

Software Architects design and develop the overall architecture of software systems. They work with stakeholders to understand the requirements of the system and design a system that meets those requirements. This course can help Software Architects choose the right types of compilers to use for their systems and better understand the optimizations that are performed on their code.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Architect

Software Quality Assurance Analyst

Software Quality Assurance Analysts test software to ensure that it meets the requirements and specifications of the stakeholders. They identify and resolve defects in software, and ensure that it is of high quality. This course will help Software Quality Assurance Analysts better understand the compilers used to build the software they test, and help them write more effective tests to ensure quality.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Quality Assurance Analyst

DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers work with developers and operations teams to ensure that software is delivered quickly and reliably. They automate the build, test, and deployment process to improve the efficiency and quality of software delivery. This course can help DevOps Engineers understand the underlying technologies used in the build and deployment process, including compilers.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Computer Hardware Engineer

Computer Hardware Engineers research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components. They work with electrical engineers and computer scientists to create new hardware and software products. Having taken this course, Computer Hardware Engineers will be able to better understand the systems they design and test at the machine code level, thereby gaining greater understanding of how their hardware will operate.

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Machine Learning Engineer

Machine Learning Engineers design, develop, and deploy machine learning models. They use machine learning algorithms to train computers to learn from data and make predictions. This course can help Machine Learning Engineers write more efficient code for training machine learning models by understanding how compilers optimize code.

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Computer Systems Analyst

Computer Systems Analysts study how computer systems are used in an organization and determine how to make them more efficient and effective. They analyze existing systems and design new ones to meet the changing needs of the organization. The analysis of computer systems often involves understanding the programming code, which is facilitated by knowledge of compilers and their techniques.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Systems Analyst

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts plan and implement security measures to protect an organization's computer networks and systems. They monitor networks for suspicious activity and investigate security breaches. This course will help Information Security Analysts better understand some of the vulnerabilities that exist in software systems, and how to better prepare to mitigate these vulnerabilities in order to strengthen security measures.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Security Analyst

Data Scientist

Data Scientists use scientific methods, processes, algorithms, and systems to extract knowledge and insights from data in various forms, both structured and unstructured. They analyze data to uncover hidden patterns, correlations, and other insights. This course can help Data Scientists understand some of the different compilation techniques that can be used to prepare and analyze data.

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Web Developer

Web Developers create and maintain websites. They design, develop, and test websites to ensure that they are functional and user-friendly. This course can help Web Developers understand how compilers work, which can help them write more efficient and secure code for their websites.

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Computer Network Architect

Computer Network Architects design and implement computer networks. They work with stakeholders to understand the requirements of the network and design a network that meets those requirements. This course can help Computer Network Architects understand how to design networks that are efficient and secure by studying the network-related optimizations performed by compilers.

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Database Administrator

Database Administrators are responsible for the installation, maintenance, and security of an organization's databases. They ensure that the data is accurate, secure, and accessible to authorized users. Compilers are often used to check the security and accuracy of the code used to access a database, and this course will help Database Administrators write more secure and efficient code for this purpose.

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Computer Scientist

Computer Scientists do research on computing technologies and create new algorithms, architectures, and systems. They apply their knowledge of computing principles to solve problems in a wide range of fields. This course can help Computer Scientists build a foundation for further research into the implementation and theory of compilers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Computer Scientist