metabuilder/libraries/mojo/compiler

Mojo Compiler

A complete Mojo programming language compiler written in Mojo itself.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

# Install Pixi (package manager)
curl -fsSL https://pixi.sh/install.sh | bash

# Install environment
cd mojo
pixi install

Run Compiler

# Compile and run a Mojo file
pixi run mojo program.mojo

# Format code
pixi run mojo format ./

# Run tests
pixi run test

Architecture

The compiler processes Mojo source code in 5 phases:

1. Frontend - Lexing (tokenization) and parsing (AST generation)
2. Semantic - Type checking and symbol resolution
3. IR - Conversion to MLIR (Multi-Level Intermediate Representation)
4. Codegen - LLVM IR generation and optimization
5. Runtime - Memory management and runtime support

See CLAUDE.md for detailed architecture documentation.

Directory Structure

src/
├── frontend/         # Lexer, parser, AST
├── semantic/         # Type system, checker
├── ir/              # MLIR generation
├── codegen/         # LLVM backend
└── runtime/         # Runtime support

examples/           # Compiler usage examples
tests/              # Comprehensive test suite
CLAUDE.md           # Architecture guide
README.md           # This file

Tests

# Run all tests
pixi run test

# Run specific test category
pixi run test -- tests/test_lexer.mojo
pixi run test -- tests/test_type_checker.mojo

# Run integration tests
pixi run test -- tests/test_compiler_pipeline.mojo

Key Features

• ✅ Lexing & Parsing
• ✅ Type inference
• ✅ Trait system
• ✅ Generic types
• ✅ Ownership checking
• ✅ MLIR generation
• ✅ LLVM IR generation
• ✅ Optimization passes
• ✅ GPU kernel support
• ✅ Python interoperability

Development

For detailed development guidelines, see CLAUDE.md.

Adding Features

1. Update src/frontend/ast.mojo (add AST node)
2. Update src/frontend/parser.mojo (add parsing rule)
3. Update src/semantic/type_checker.mojo (add type checking)
4. Update src/ir/mlir_gen.mojo (add IR generation)
5. Update src/codegen/llvm_backend.mojo (add code generation)
6. Add tests to tests/

Examples

See examples/ directory for:

• Simple programs
• Type system demonstration
• Trait usage
• Generic types
• Async/await
• GPU kernels

Documentation

• Architecture: See CLAUDE.md
• Type System: See src/semantic/CLAUDE.md (if available)
• Error Messages: See src/frontend/CLAUDE.md (if available)

Status

Phase 4 Complete - Full compiler implementation with:

• Complete lexer and parser
• Type inference and checking
• MLIR and LLVM IR generation
• Optimization passes
• Ownership and borrowing system

Next: Performance optimization, advanced features

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Last Updated: January 23, 2026 Source: Modular Inc. Mojo Compiler