April 23, 2026
Zig dreams, C screams
Writing a C Compiler, in Zig
Zig dev builds a C compiler—fans hype, others claim he quit
TLDR: A developer documented building a tiny C compiler in Zig, sparking cheers about Zig’s independence and confusion over whether Zig already compiles C. The thread split between hype for a future without old tools like LLVM and a rumor the author burned out, making a niche project a drama magnet.
An out‑of‑work coder just blogged their journey building a tiny C compiler in the newer language Zig after following a popular tutorial book—chapter by chapter, from variables to functions. The project, cheekily called “paella,” had the crowd simmering. Hype crew: one fan cheered that writing a C compiler in Zig matches the language’s early dream of “keep everything in Zig,” hinting this could one day mean less dependence on the big, old-school tools behind C like Clang/LLVM (a widely used compiler toolkit). Translation: some see a path to Zig standing more on its own two feet.
Reality check squad: another commenter squinted at the repo and claimed the author got “fed up” with low-level grind and quit—cue the popcorn. Meanwhile, a third voice asked the question half the internet was thinking: doesn’t Zig already compile C? The answer from the aisle seats: Zig can handle C today, but it leans on those established tools under the hood. Building a fresh C compiler is more passion project than product feature—for now.
Between the cheers, confusion, and a rumored rage‑quit, the memes wrote themselves: “procrastination level: built a compiler instead of job hunting.” Love it or roll your eyes, the thread turned a niche coding diary into a fandom face‑off over Zig’s future—and one developer’s patience.
Key Points
- •The article compiles a series of posts documenting a C compiler (“paella”) written in Zig.
- •The series follows Nora Sandler’s “Writing a C Compiler” as its roadmap.
- •Chapters cover core C features: unary and binary operations, logic, variables, conditions, and blocks.
- •Later chapters address loops, functions, and linking to complete basic compiler capabilities.
- •Posts were collected with minimal editing (only broken links fixed), with potential future additions planned.