Portable C Compiler

Portable C Compiler

The Portable C Compiler (PCC) is an open-source, retargetable C compiler. It supports multiple hardware and software platforms and aims to be simple, portable, fast with light resource usage.
Development Compilers
c compiler opensource portable lightweight
Portable C Compiler alternatives ➤

Portable C Compiler: Open-Source C Compiler for Portable Development

The Portable C Compiler (PCC) is an open-source, retargetable C compiler. It supports multiple hardware and software platforms and aims to be simple, portable, fast with light resource usage.

What is Portable C Compiler?

The Portable C Compiler (PCC) is a free, open-source and retargetable C compiler focused on providing portability, simplicity, speed, and small size. Developed originally at Bell Labs in the 1970s, PCC has evolved over decades of work by various contributors into a mature C codebase.

Some key features and goals of PCC include:

  • Supports wide range of hardware platforms including x86, ARM, PowerPC, SPARC, MIPS, and more
  • Supports various Unix-like systems such as Linux, BSDs, Solaris, macOS, etc.
  • ANSI C89/90 and parts of C99 compliance; continuing work on improving standards conformance
  • Generates code quickly with relatively low memory footprint compared to GCC
  • Emphasizes simplicity, portability and performance rather than extensive optimization
  • Clean and modular codebase for easy understanding and porting

While not focused on state-of-the-art optimization and language features like GCC, PCC distinguishes itself as a simple, portable and efficient baseline C compiler. Its small code size makes it well-suited for embedded systems and other resource constrained platforms. For developers needing cross-platform C compilation, PCC presents a lightweight, anachronistic yet enduring solution.

Portable C Compiler Features

Features

  1. Open source C compiler
  2. Supports multiple hardware and software platforms
  3. Portable across many operating systems
  4. Fast compilation speed
  5. Light resource usage
  6. Produces optimized code
  7. Supports most ANSI C features

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Highly portable

Good performance

Lightweight and small footprint

Active development community

Cons

Lacks some advanced C99/C11 features

Limited debugging capabilities

Sparse documentation

Not as widely used as GCC or Clang

Official Links

Official Website
https://pcc.ludd.ltu.se/

The Best Portable C Compiler Alternatives

Top Development and Compilers and other similar apps like Portable C Compiler

Here are some alternatives to Portable C Compiler:

GNU Compiler Collection icon
GNU Compiler Collection
LLVM icon
LLVM
Open64 icon
Open64
Suggest an alternative ❐

GNU Compiler Collection icon

GNU Compiler Collection

The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is an open source compiler system developed by the GNU Project for compiling multiple programming languages. Some key points about GCC:Supports compilation of popular languages like C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Ada, and Java.Actively developed and maintained by a large community of contributors.Aims to produce fast...
GNU Compiler Collection image
LLVM icon

LLVM

LLVM (Low Level Virtual Machine) is an open source compiler infrastructure project that provides reusable components for building compiler front ends and back ends. It uses an intermediate representation (IR) that allows for optimization and translation to multiple targets.Some key aspects of LLVM:Focused on providing high-quality optimizing compiler componentsUses a...
LLVM image
Open64 icon

Open64

Open64 is an open-source, optimizing compiler for C, C++, and Fortran programs targeted at high-performance computing systems like workstations, servers, and supercomputers. It was originally developed by SGI and is now maintained by the Open64 Foundation.Key features of Open64 include support for multiple architectures (x86-64, IA64, ARM, MIPS, PowerPC), operating...
Open64 image