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Compiling a C program with zig

"Zig is a general-purpose programming language and toolchain for maintaining robust, optimal and reusable software."

Why is it interesting for us? Zig can compile C codes and the command "zig cc" can be used as a drop-in replacement for GCC/Clang. zig cc is built on top of Clang.

Installation

Under Manjaro Linux just install the package "zig" with your package manager.

For Windows, consult the pages https://ziglang.org/download/ and https://ziglang.org/learn/getting-started/#managers .

Compilation

$ cat main.c
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    printf("hello\n");

    return 0;
}

$ gcc main.c
$ ./a.out
hello

$ zig cc main.c
$ ./a.out
hello

Cross-Compilation

zig cc can do cross compilation!

On Linux, build a Windows EXE:

$ zig cc main.c -target x86_64-windows
$ wine a.exe
hello

𝥶Or, just copy the resulting "a.exe" to Windows and execute it. It'll work.

On Windows, build a Linux executable:

C:\> zig cc main.c -target x86_64-linux-gnu

𝥶Copy the resulting "a.out" to Linux and launch it. It'll work.

Links

• `zig cc`: a Powerful Drop-In Replacement for GCC/Clang