What do you think?
Building Programming Language Interpreters: A bottom-up approach to runtimes, execution, and implementation in C++
Explore why someone would build a new interpreter, examine the aspects that influence the design of the runtime and of the programming language, and work through the steps to concretely implement the interpreter.
Key FeaturesDesign a programming language to solve a particular problem, rather than a general-purpose oneFollow a bottom-up approach, from designing runtime to building a language-specific interpreterBuild an interpreter from scratch, focusing on achieving a minimally viable productBook DescriptionDesigning a custom programming language can be the most effective way to solve certain types of problems—especially when precision, safety, or domain-specific expressiveness matters. This book guides you through the full process of creating your own language and interpreter, from design to implementation, using modern C++.
You’ll start by exploring when and why building a language is worth it, and how to design one to match a specific problem domain. Along the way, you’ll examine real-world interpreter architectures and how their design decisions affect language capabilities.
The book then walks through the entire process of building an defining the syntax, building a parser and semantic model, designing an abstract syntax tree, generating executable instructions, and implementing a runtime. All examples are in modern C++, with a focus on clean architecture and real-world usability.
By the end, you’ll have a fully working interpreter for a domain-specific language designed to handle network protocols—plus the knowledge and tools to design your own language from scratch.
What you will learnGain hands-on experience building a programming language from scratchWrite an interpreter that can be embedded into existing environmentsReason about similarities and distinctions in programming languagesUnderstand the execution models of different languagesIdentify the requirements for the runtime environment of an interpreterImplement a lexer, parser, analyzer, and execution instruction emitterWho this book is forThis book is tailored for intermediate to advanced software developers, particularly those interested in language design and implementation. It's ideal for programmers seeking to expand their skill set and tackle complex problems efficiently. Professionals working in roles such as software engineers, language designers, or system architects will benefit from the practical insights and hands-on experience provided in the book. Good understanding of C++ programming and basic understanding of language design concepts are recommended to fully grasp the content.
Table of ContentsPart 1: Setting up the EnvironmentThe blurring lines between Native Code, Virtual Machines, and InterpretersInstructions, Concurrency, Inputs, Outputs Native types, user types, extension points Putting it all together, making trade-off decisionsReview of Programming Language ParadigmsValues, Containers, and the Language Meta-modelScopes, Namespace and Code ReusePutting it all together, creating a coherent visionInitialization and Entry PointExecution frames, the stack and the trampoline functionRunning and Testing Language Turning text into a stream of tokens<
Key FeaturesDesign a programming language to solve a particular problem, rather than a general-purpose oneFollow a bottom-up approach, from designing runtime to building a language-specific interpreterBuild an interpreter from scratch, focusing on achieving a minimally viable productBook DescriptionDesigning a custom programming language can be the most effective way to solve certain types of problems—especially when precision, safety, or domain-specific expressiveness matters. This book guides you through the full process of creating your own language and interpreter, from design to implementation, using modern C++.
You’ll start by exploring when and why building a language is worth it, and how to design one to match a specific problem domain. Along the way, you’ll examine real-world interpreter architectures and how their design decisions affect language capabilities.
The book then walks through the entire process of building an defining the syntax, building a parser and semantic model, designing an abstract syntax tree, generating executable instructions, and implementing a runtime. All examples are in modern C++, with a focus on clean architecture and real-world usability.
By the end, you’ll have a fully working interpreter for a domain-specific language designed to handle network protocols—plus the knowledge and tools to design your own language from scratch.
What you will learnGain hands-on experience building a programming language from scratchWrite an interpreter that can be embedded into existing environmentsReason about similarities and distinctions in programming languagesUnderstand the execution models of different languagesIdentify the requirements for the runtime environment of an interpreterImplement a lexer, parser, analyzer, and execution instruction emitterWho this book is forThis book is tailored for intermediate to advanced software developers, particularly those interested in language design and implementation. It's ideal for programmers seeking to expand their skill set and tackle complex problems efficiently. Professionals working in roles such as software engineers, language designers, or system architects will benefit from the practical insights and hands-on experience provided in the book. Good understanding of C++ programming and basic understanding of language design concepts are recommended to fully grasp the content.
Table of ContentsPart 1: Setting up the EnvironmentThe blurring lines between Native Code, Virtual Machines, and InterpretersInstructions, Concurrency, Inputs, Outputs Native types, user types, extension points Putting it all together, making trade-off decisionsReview of Programming Language ParadigmsValues, Containers, and the Language Meta-modelScopes, Namespace and Code ReusePutting it all together, creating a coherent visionInitialization and Entry PointExecution frames, the stack and the trampoline functionRunning and Testing Language Turning text into a stream of tokens<
529 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 16, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.