In CPython, the compilation from source code to bytecode involves several steps:
- Tokenize the source code (:file:`Parser/tokenizer.c`)
- Parse the stream of tokens into an Abstract Syntax Tree (:file:`Parser/parser.c`)
- Transform AST into a Control Flow Graph (:file:`Python/compile.c`)
- Emit bytecode based on the Control Flow Graph (:file:`Python/compile.c`)
The purpose of this document is to outline how these steps of the process work.
This document does not touch on how parsing works beyond what is needed to explain what is needed for compilation. It is also not exhaustive in terms of the how the entire system works. You will most likely need to read some source to have an exact understanding of all details.
As of Python 3.9, Python's parser is a PEG parser of a somewhat unusual design (since its input is a stream of tokens rather than a stream of characters as is more common with PEG parsers).
The grammar file for Python can be found in
:file:`Grammar/python.gram`. The definitions for literal tokens
(such as :, numbers, etc.) can be found in :file:`Grammar/Tokens`.
Various C files, including :file:`Parser/parser.c` are generated from
these (see :doc:`grammar`).
Green Tree Snakes
See also Green Tree Snakes - the missing Python AST docs by Thomas Kluyver.
The abstract syntax tree (AST) is a high-level representation of the program structure without the necessity of containing the source code; it can be thought of as an abstract representation of the source code. The specification of the AST nodes is specified using the Zephyr Abstract Syntax Definition Language (ASDL) [Wang97].
The definition of the AST nodes for Python is found in the file :file:`Parser/Python.asdl`.
Each AST node (representing statements, expressions, and several specialized types, like list comprehensions and exception handlers) is defined by the ASDL. Most definitions in the AST correspond to a particular source construct, such as an 'if' statement or an attribute lookup. The definition is independent of its realization in any particular programming language.
The following fragment of the Python ASDL construct demonstrates the approach and syntax:
module Python
{
stmt = FunctionDef(identifier name, arguments args, stmt* body,
expr* decorators)
| Return(expr? value) | Yield(expr? value)
attributes (int lineno)
}
The preceding example describes two different kinds of statements and an
expression: function definitions, return statements, and yield expressions.
All three kinds are considered of type stmt as shown by | separating
the various kinds. They all take arguments of various kinds and amounts.
Modifiers on the argument type specify the number of values needed; ?
means it is optional, * means 0 or more, while no modifier means only one
value for the argument and it is required. FunctionDef, for instance,
takes an identifier for the name, arguments for args, zero or more
stmt arguments for body, and zero or more expr arguments for
decorators.
Do notice that something like 'arguments', which is a node type, is represented as a single AST node and not as a sequence of nodes as with stmt as one might expect.
All three kinds also have an 'attributes' argument; this is shown by the fact that 'attributes' lacks a '|' before it.
The statement definitions above generate the following C structure type:
typedef struct _stmt *stmt_ty;
struct _stmt {
enum { FunctionDef_kind=1, Return_kind=2, Yield_kind=3 } kind;
union {
struct {
identifier name;
arguments_ty args;
asdl_seq *body;
} FunctionDef;
struct {
expr_ty value;
} Return;
struct {
expr_ty value;
} Yield;
} v;
int lineno;
}Also generated are a series of constructor functions that allocate (in
this case) a stmt_ty struct with the appropriate initialization. The
kind field specifies which component of the union is initialized. The
FunctionDef() constructor function sets 'kind' to FunctionDef_kind and
initializes the name, args, body, and attributes fields.
Before discussing the actual implementation of the compiler, a discussion of how memory is handled is in order. To make memory management simple, an arena is used. This means that a memory is pooled in a single location for easy allocation and removal. What this gives us is the removal of explicit memory deallocation. Because memory allocation for all needed memory in the compiler registers that memory with the arena, a single call to free the arena is all that is needed to completely free all memory used by the compiler.
In general, unless you are working on the critical core of the compiler, memory management can be completely ignored. But if you are working at either the very beginning of the compiler or the end, you need to care about how the arena works. All code relating to the arena is in either :file:`Include/Internal/pycore_pyarena.h` or :file:`Python/pyarena.c`.
PyArena_New() will create a new arena. The returned PyArena structure
will store pointers to all memory given to it. This does the bookkeeping of
what memory needs to be freed when the compiler is finished with the memory it
used. That freeing is done with PyArena_Free(). This only needs to be
called in strategic areas where the compiler exits.
As stated above, in general you should not have to worry about memory management when working on the compiler. The technical details have been designed to be hidden from you for most cases.
The only exception comes about when managing a PyObject. Since the rest
of Python uses reference counting, there is extra support added
to the arena to cleanup each PyObject that was allocated. These cases
are very rare. However, if you've allocated a PyObject, you must tell
the arena about it by calling PyArena_AddPyObject().
The AST is generated from source code using the function
_PyParser_ASTFromString() or _PyParser_ASTFromFile()
(from :file:`Parser/peg_api.c`) depending on the input type.
After some checks, a helper function in :file:`Parser/parser.c` begins applying production rules on the source code it receives; converting source code to tokens and matching these tokens recursively to their corresponding rule. The rule's corresponding rule function is called on every match. These rule functions follow the format :samp:`xx_rule`. Where xx is the grammar rule that the function handles and is automatically derived from :file:`Grammar/python.gram` by :file:`Tools/peg_generator/pegen/c_generator.py`.
Each rule function in turn creates an AST node as it goes along. It does this by allocating all the new nodes it needs, calling the proper AST node creation functions for any required supporting functions and connecting them as needed. This continues until all nonterminal symbols are replaced with terminals. If an error occurs, the rule functions backtrack and try another rule function. If there are no more rules, an error is set and the parsing ends.
The AST node creation helper functions have the name :samp:`_PyAST_{xx}`
where xx is the AST node that the function creates. These are defined by the
ASDL grammar and contained in :file:`Python/Python-ast.c` (which is generated by
:file:`Parser/asdl_c.py` from :file:`Parser/Python.asdl`). This all leads to a
sequence of AST nodes stored in asdl_seq structs.
To demonstrate everything explained so far, here's the
rule function responsible for a simple named import statement such as
import sys. Note that error-checking and debugging code has been
omitted. Removed parts are represented by ....
Furthermore, some comments have been added for explanation. These comments
may not be present in the actual code.
// This is the production rule (from python.gram) the rule function
// corresponds to:
// import_name: 'import' dotted_as_names
static stmt_ty
import_name_rule(Parser *p)
{
...
stmt_ty _res = NULL;
{ // 'import' dotted_as_names
...
Token * _keyword;
asdl_alias_seq* a;
// The tokenizing steps.
if (
(_keyword = _PyPegen_expect_token(p, 513)) // token='import'
&&
(a = dotted_as_names_rule(p)) // dotted_as_names
)
{
...
// Generate an AST for the import statement.
_res = _PyAST_Import ( a , ...);
...
goto done;
}
...
}
_res = NULL;
done:
...
return _res;
}To improve backtracking performance, some rules (chosen by applying a
(memo) flag in the grammar file) are memoized. Each rule function checks if
a memoized version exists and returns that if so, else it continues in the
manner stated in the previous paragraphs.
There are macros for creating and using asdl_xx_seq * types, where xx is
a type of the ASDL sequence. Three main types are defined
manually -- generic, identifier and int. These types are found in
:file:`Python/asdl.c` and its corresponding header file
:file:`Include/Internal/pycore_asdl.h`. Functions and macros
for creating asdl_xx_seq * types are as follows:
_Py_asdl_generic_seq_new(Py_ssize_t, PyArena *)- Allocate memory for an
asdl_generic_seqof the specified length _Py_asdl_identifier_seq_new(Py_ssize_t, PyArena *)- Allocate memory for an
asdl_identifier_seqof the specified length _Py_asdl_int_seq_new(Py_ssize_t, PyArena *)- Allocate memory for an
asdl_int_seqof the specified length
In addition to the three types mentioned above, some ASDL sequence types are automatically generated by :file:`Parser/asdl_c.py` and found in :file:`Include/Internal/pycore_ast.h`. Macros for using both manually defined and automatically generated ASDL sequence types are as follows:
asdl_seq_GET(asdl_xx_seq *, int)- Get item held at a specific position in an
asdl_xx_seq asdl_seq_SET(asdl_xx_seq *, int, stmt_ty)- Set a specific index in an
asdl_xx_seqto the specified value
Untyped counterparts exist for some of the typed macros. These are useful when a function needs to manipulate a generic ASDL sequence:
asdl_seq_GET_UNTYPED(asdl_seq *, int)- Get item held at a specific position in an
asdl_seq asdl_seq_SET_UNTYPED(asdl_seq *, int, stmt_ty)- Set a specific index in an
asdl_seqto the specified value asdl_seq_LEN(asdl_seq *)- Return the length of an
asdl_seqorasdl_xx_seq
Note that typed macros and functions are recommended over their untyped
counterparts. Typed macros carry out checks in debug mode and aid
debugging errors caused by incorrectly casting from void *.
If you are working with statements, you must also worry about keeping
track of what line number generated the statement. Currently the line
number is passed as the last parameter to each stmt_ty function.
.. versionchanged:: 3.9
The new PEG parser generates an AST directly without creating a
parse tree. ``Python/ast.c`` is now only used to validate the AST for
debugging purposes.
.. seealso:: :pep:`617` (PEP 617 -- New PEG parser for CPython)
A control flow graph (often referenced by its acronym, CFG) is a directed graph that models the flow of a program. A node of a CFG is not an individual bytecode instruction, but instead represents a sequence of bytecode instructions that always execute sequentially. Each node is called a basic block and must always execute from start to finish, with a single entry point at the beginning and a single exit point at the end. If some bytecode instruction a needs to jump to some other bytecode instruction b, then a must occur at the end of its basic block, and b must occur at the start of its basic block.
As an example, consider the following code snippet:
if x < 10:
f1()
f2()
else:
g()
end()The x < 10 guard is represented by its own basic block that
compares x with 10 and then ends in a conditional jump based on
the result of the comparison. This conditional jump allows the block
to point to both the body of the if and the body of the else. The
if basic block contains the f1() and f2() calls and points to
the end() basic block. The else basic block contains the g()
call and similarly points to the end() block.
Note that more complex code in the guard, the if body, or the else
body may be represented by multiple basic blocks. For instance,
short-circuiting boolean logic in a guard like if x or y:
will produce one basic block that tests the truth value of x
and then points both (1) to the start of the if body and (2) to
a different basic block that tests the truth value of y.
CFGs are usually one step away from final code output. Code is directly generated from the basic blocks (with jump targets adjusted based on the output order) by doing a post-order depth-first search on the CFG following the edges.
With the AST created, the next step is to create the CFG. The first step is to convert the AST to Python bytecode without having jump targets resolved to specific offsets (this is calculated when the CFG goes to final bytecode). Essentially, this transforms the AST into Python bytecode with control flow represented by the edges of the CFG.
Conversion is done in two passes. The first creates the namespace (variables can be classified as local, free/cell for closures, or global). With that done, the second pass essentially flattens the CFG into a list and calculates jump offsets for final output of bytecode.
The conversion process is initiated by a call to the function
_PyAST_Compile() in :file:`Python/compile.c`. This function does both the
conversion of the AST to a CFG and outputting final bytecode from the CFG.
The AST to CFG step is handled mostly by two functions called by
_PyAST_Compile(); _PySymtable_Build() and compiler_mod(). The former
is in :file:`Python/symtable.c` while the latter is in :file:`Python/compile.c`.
_PySymtable_Build() begins by entering the starting code block for the
AST (passed-in) and then calling the proper :samp:`symtable_visit_{xx}` function
(with xx being the AST node type). Next, the AST tree is walked with
the various code blocks that delineate the reach of a local variable
as blocks are entered and exited using symtable_enter_block() and
symtable_exit_block(), respectively.
Once the symbol table is created, it is time for CFG creation, whose
code is in :file:`Python/compile.c`. This is handled by several functions
that break the task down by various AST node types. The functions are
all named :samp:`compiler_visit_{xx}` where xx is the name of the node type (such
as stmt, expr, etc.). Each function receives a struct compiler *
and :samp:`{xx}_ty` where xx is the AST node type. Typically these functions
consist of a large 'switch' statement, branching based on the kind of
node type passed to it. Simple things are handled inline in the
'switch' statement with more complex transformations farmed out to other
functions named :samp:`compiler_{xx}` with xx being a descriptive name of what is
being handled.
When transforming an arbitrary AST node, use the VISIT() macro.
The appropriate :samp:`compiler_visit_{xx}` function is called, based on the value
passed in for <node type> (so :samp:`VISIT({c}, expr, {node})` calls
:samp:`compiler_visit_expr({c}, {node})`). The VISIT_SEQ() macro is very similar,
but is called on AST node sequences (those values that were created as
arguments to a node that used the '*' modifier). There is also
VISIT_SLICE() just for handling slices.
Emission of bytecode is handled by the following macros:
ADDOP(struct compiler *, int)- add a specified opcode
ADDOP_NOLINE(struct compiler *, int)- like
ADDOPwithout a line number; used for artificial opcodes without no corresponding token in the source code ADDOP_IN_SCOPE(struct compiler *, int)- like
ADDOP, but also exits current scope; used for adding return value opcodes in lambdas and closures ADDOP_I(struct compiler *, int, Py_ssize_t)- add an opcode that takes an integer argument
ADDOP_O(struct compiler *, int, PyObject *, TYPE)- add an opcode with the proper argument based on the position of the
specified PyObject in PyObject sequence object, but with no handling of
mangled names; used for when you
need to do named lookups of objects such as globals, consts, or
parameters where name mangling is not possible and the scope of the
name is known; TYPE is the name of PyObject sequence
(
namesorvarnames) ADDOP_N(struct compiler *, int, PyObject *, TYPE)- just like
ADDOP_O, but steals a reference to PyObject ADDOP_NAME(struct compiler *, int, PyObject *, TYPE)- just like
ADDOP_O, but name mangling is also handled; used for attribute loading or importing based on name ADDOP_LOAD_CONST(struct compiler *, PyObject *)- add the
LOAD_CONSTopcode with the proper argument based on the position of the specified PyObject in the consts table. ADDOP_LOAD_CONST_NEW(struct compiler *, PyObject *)- just like
ADDOP_LOAD_CONST_NEW, but steals a reference to PyObject ADDOP_JUMP(struct compiler *, int, basicblock *)- create a jump to a basic block
ADDOP_JUMP_NOLINE(struct compiler *, int, basicblock *)- like
ADDOP_JUMPwithout a line number; used for artificial jumps without no corresponding token in the source code. ADDOP_JUMP_COMPARE(struct compiler *, cmpop_ty)- depending on the second argument, add an
ADDOP_Iwith either anIS_OP,CONTAINS_OP, orCOMPARE_OPopcode.
Several helper functions that will emit bytecode and are named
:samp:`compiler_{xx}()` where xx is what the function helps with (list,
boolop, etc.). A rather useful one is compiler_nameop().
This function looks up the scope of a variable and, based on the
expression context, emits the proper opcode to load, store, or delete
the variable.
As for handling the line number on which a statement is defined, this is
handled by compiler_visit_stmt() and thus is not a worry.
In addition to emitting bytecode based on the AST node, handling the creation of basic blocks must be done. Below are the macros and functions used for managing basic blocks:
NEXT_BLOCK(struct compiler *)- create an implicit jump from the current block to the new block
compiler_new_block(struct compiler *)- create a block but don't use it (used for generating jumps)
compiler_use_next_block(struct compiler *, basicblock *block)- set a previously created block as a current block
Once the CFG is created, it must be flattened and then final emission of
bytecode occurs. Flattening is handled using a post-order depth-first
search. Once flattened, jump offsets are backpatched based on the
flattening and then a PyCodeObject is created. All of this is
handled by calling assemble().
Sometimes a new feature requires a new opcode. But adding new bytecode is not as simple as just suddenly introducing new bytecode in the AST -> bytecode step of the compiler. Several pieces of code throughout Python depend on having correct information about what bytecode exists.
First, you must choose a name and a unique identifier number. The official
list of bytecode can be found in :file:`Lib/opcode.py`. If the opcode is to
take an argument, it must be given a unique number greater than that assigned to
HAVE_ARGUMENT (as found in :file:`Lib/opcode.py`).
Once the name/number pair has been chosen and entered in :file:`Lib/opcode.py`,
you must also enter it into :file:`Doc/library/dis.rst`, and regenerate
:file:`Include/opcode.h` and :file:`Python/opcode_targets.h` by running
make regen-opcode regen-opcode-targets.
With a new bytecode you must also change what is called the magic number for
.pyc files. The variable MAGIC_NUMBER in
:file:`Lib/importlib/_bootstrap_external.py` contains the number.
Changing this number will lead to all .pyc files with the old MAGIC_NUMBER
to be recompiled by the interpreter on import. Whenever MAGIC_NUMBER is
changed, the ranges in the magic_values array in :file:`PC/launcher.c`
must also be updated. Changes to :file:`Lib/importlib/_bootstrap_external.py`
will take effect only after running make regen-importlib. Running this
command before adding the new bytecode target to :file:`Python/ceval.c` will
result in an error. You should only run make regen-importlib after the new
bytecode target has been added.
Note
On Windows, running the ./build.bat script will automatically
regenerate the required files without requiring additional arguments.
Finally, you need to introduce the use of the new bytecode. Altering
:file:`Python/compile.c` and :file:`Python/ceval.c` will be the primary places
to change. You must add the case for a new opcode into the 'switch'
statement in the stack_effect() function in :file:`Python/compile.c`.
If the new opcode has a jump target, you will need to update macros and
'switch' statements in :file:`Python/peephole.c`. If it affects a control
flow or the block stack, you may have to update the frame_setlineno()
function in :file:`Objects/frameobject.c`. :file:`Lib/dis.py` may need
an update if the new opcode interprets its argument in a special way (like
FORMAT_VALUE or MAKE_FUNCTION).
If you make a change here that can affect the output of bytecode that
is already in existence and you do not change the magic number constantly, make
sure to delete your old .py(c|o) files! Even though you will end up changing
the magic number if you change the bytecode, while you are debugging your work
you will be changing the bytecode output without constantly bumping up the
magic number. This means you end up with stale .pyc files that will not be
recreated.
Running find . -name '*.py[co]' -exec rm -f '{}' + should delete all .pyc
files you have, forcing new ones to be created and thus allow you test out your
new bytecode properly. Run make regen-importlib for updating the
bytecode of frozen importlib files. You have to run make again after this
for recompiling generated C files.
The result of PyAST_CompileObject() is a PyCodeObject which is defined in
:file:`Include/code.h`. And with that you now have executable Python bytecode!
The code objects (byte code) are executed in :file:`Python/ceval.c`. This file
will also need a new case statement for the new opcode in the big switch
statement in _PyEval_EvalFrameDefault().
Parser/
- Python.asdl
ASDL syntax file
- asdl.py
Parser for ASDL definition files. Reads in an ASDL description and parses it into an AST that describes it.
- asdl_c.py
"Generate C code from an ASDL description." Generates :file:`Python/Python-ast.c` and :file:`Include/Internal/pycore_ast.h`.
- parser.c
The new PEG parser introduced in Python 3.9. Generated by :file:`Tools/peg_generator/pegen/c_generator.py` from the grammar :file:`Grammar/python.gram`. Creates the AST from source code. Rule functions for their corresponding production rules are found here.
- peg_api.c
Contains high-level functions which are used by the interpreter to create an AST from source code .
- pegen.c
Contains helper functions which are used by functions in :file:`Parser/parser.c` to construct the AST. Also contains helper functions which help raise better error messages when parsing source code.
- pegen.h
Header file for the corresponding :file:`Parser/pegen.c`. Also contains definitions of the
ParserandTokenstructs.
Python/
- Python-ast.c
Creates C structs corresponding to the ASDL types. Also contains code for marshalling AST nodes (core ASDL types have marshalling code in :file:`asdl.c`). "File automatically generated by :file:`Parser/asdl_c.py`". This file must be committed separately after every grammar change is committed since the
__version__value is set to the latest grammar change revision number.- asdl.c
Contains code to handle the ASDL sequence type. Also has code to handle marshalling the core ASDL types, such as number and identifier. Used by :file:`Python-ast.c` for marshalling AST nodes.
- ast.c
Used for validating the AST.
- ast_opt.c
Optimizes the AST.
- ast_unparse.c
Converts the AST expression node back into a string (for string annotations).
- ceval.c
Executes byte code (aka, eval loop).
- compile.c
Emits bytecode based on the AST.
- symtable.c
Generates a symbol table from AST.
- peephole.c
Optimizes the bytecode.
- pyarena.c
Implementation of the arena memory manager.
- wordcode_helpers.h
Helpers for generating bytecode.
- opcode_targets.h
One of the files that must be modified if :file:`Lib/opcode.py` is.
Include/
- code.h
Header file for :file:`Objects/codeobject.c`; contains definition of
PyCodeObject.- opcode.h
One of the files that must be modified if :file:`Lib/opcode.py` is.
Internal/
- pycore_ast.h
Contains the actual definitions of the C structs as generated by :file:`Python/Python-ast.c`. "Automatically generated by :file:`Parser/asdl_c.py`".
- pycore_asdl.h
Header for the corresponding :file:`Python/ast.c`
- pycore_ast.h
Declares
_PyAST_Validate()external (from :file:`Python/ast.c`).- pycore_symtable.h
Header for :file:`Python/symtable.c`.
struct symtableandPySTEntryObjectare defined here.- pycore_parser.h
Header for the corresponding :file:`Parser/peg_api.c`.
- pycore_pyarena.h
Header file for the corresponding :file:`Python/pyarena.c`.
Objects/
- codeobject.c
Contains PyCodeObject-related code (originally in :file:`Python/compile.c`).
- frameobject.c
Contains the
frame_setlineno()function which should determine whether it is allowed to make a jump between two points in a bytecode.
Lib/
- opcode.py
Master list of bytecode; if this file is modified you must modify several other files accordingly (see "Introducing New Bytecode")
- importlib/_bootstrap_external.py
Home of the magic number (named
MAGIC_NUMBER) for bytecode versioning.
This section lists known experiments involving the compiler (including bytecode).
Skip Montanaro presented a paper at a Python workshop on a peephole optimizer [1].
Michael Hudson has a non-active SourceForge project named Bytecodehacks [2] that provides functionality for playing with bytecode directly.
An opcode to combine the functionality of LOAD_ATTR/CALL_FUNCTION was
created named CALL_ATTR [3]. Currently only works for classic
classes and for new-style classes rough benchmarking showed an actual slowdown
thanks to having to support both classic and new-style classes.
| [Wang97] | Daniel C. Wang, Andrew W. Appel, Jeff L. Korn, and Chris S. Serra. The Zephyr Abstract Syntax Description Language. In Proceedings of the Conference on Domain-Specific Languages, pp. 213--227, 1997. |
| [1] | Skip Montanaro's Peephole Optimizer Paper (https://legacy.python.org/workshops/1998-11/proceedings/papers/montanaro/montanaro.html) |
| [2] | Bytecodehacks Project (http://bytecodehacks.sourceforge.net/bch-docs/bch/index.html) |
| [3] | CALL_ATTR opcode (https://bugs.python.org/issue709744) |