The London Perl and Raku Workshop takes place on 26th Oct 2024. If your company depends on Perl, please consider sponsoring and/or attending.

NAME

perlcc - generate executables from Perl programs

SYNOPSIS

perlcc hello.pl            # Compiles into executable 'a.out'
perlcc -o hello hello.pl   # Compiles into executable 'hello'

perlcc -O file.pl          # Compiles using the optimised CC backend
perlcc -O3 file.pl         # Compiles with C, using -O3 optimizations
perlcc -B file.pl          # Compiles using the bytecode backend
perlcc -B -m file.pm       # Compiles a module to file.pmc

perlcc -c file.pl          # Creates a C file, 'file.c'
perlcc -S -o hello file.pl # Keep C file
perlcc -c out.c file.pl    # Creates a C file, 'out.c' from 'file'
perlcc --staticxs -r -o hello hello.pl # Compiles,links and runs with
                           # XS modules static/dynaloaded

perlcc -e 'print q//'      # Compiles a one-liner into 'a.out'
perlcc -c -e 'print q//'   # Creates a C file 'a.out.c'

perlcc -I /foo hello       # extra headers for C
perlcc -L /foo hello       # extra libraries for C
perlcc --Wb=-Dsp           # extra perl compiler options
perlcc -fno-delete-pkg     # extra perl compiler options
perlcc --Wc=-fno-openmp    # extra C compiler options
perlcc --Wl=-s             # extra C linker options

perlcc -uIO::Socket        # force saving IO::Socket
perlcc -UB                 # "unuse" B, compile without any B symbols

perlcc -r hello            # compiles 'hello' into 'a.out', runs 'a.out'
perlcc -r hello a b c      # compiles 'hello' into 'a.out', runs 'a.out'
                           # with arguments 'a b c'

perlcc hello -log c.log    # compiles 'hello' into 'a.out', log into 'c.log'

perlcc -h       	       # help, only SYNOPSIS
perlcc -v2 -h  	       # verbose help, also DESCRIPTION and OPTIONS
perlcc --version  	       # prints internal perlcc and the B-C release version

DESCRIPTION

perlcc creates standalone executables from Perl programs, using the code generators provided by the B module. At present, you may either create executable Perl bytecode, using the -B option, or generate and compile C files using the standard and 'optimised' C backends.

The code generated in this way is not guaranteed to work. The whole codegen suite (perlcc included) should be considered very experimental. Use for production purposes is strongly discouraged.

OPTIONS

-LC library directories

Adds the given directories to the library search path when C code is passed to your C compiler. For multiple paths use multiple -L options.

-IC include directories

Adds the given directories to the include file search path when C code is passed to your C compiler; when using the Perl bytecode option, adds the given directories to Perl's include path. For multiple paths use multiple -I options.

-o output file name

Specifies the file name for the final compiled executable.

Without given output file name we use the base of the input file, or with -e a.out resp. a.exe and a randomized intermediate C filename. If the input file is an absolute path on a non-windows system use the basename.

-c C file name

Create C file only; do not compile and link to a standalone binary.

-e perl code

Compile a one-liner, much the same as perl -e '...'

--check

Pass -c flag to the backend, prints all backend warnings to STDOUT and exits before generating and compiling code. Similar to perl -c.

--cross pathto/config.sh

Use a different %B::C::Config from another config.sh for cross-compilation. Passes -cross=path to the backend.

-S

"Keep source". Do not delete generated C code after compilation.

-B

Use the Perl bytecode code generator.

--debug or -D

Shortcut for --Wb=-Dfull -S to enable all debug levels and also preserve source code, also view --Wb to enable some specific debugging options.

-O

Use the 'optimised' C code generator B::CC. This is more experimental than everything else put together, and the code created is not guaranteed to compile in finite time and memory, or indeed, at all.

-O1-4

Pass the numeric optimisation option to the compiler backend. Shortcut for -Wb=-On.

This does not enforce B::CC.

-v 0-6

Set verbosity of output from 0 to max. 6.

-r

Run the resulting compiled script after compiling it.

--log logfile

Log the output of compiling to a file rather than to stdout.

-f<option> or --f=<option>

Pass the options to the compiler backend, such as -fstash or -fno-delete-pkg.

--Wb=options

Pass the options to the compiler backend, such as --Wb=-O2,-v

--Wc=options

Pass comma-seperated options to cc.

--Wl=options

Pass comma-seperated options to ld.

-T or -t

run the backend using perl -T or -t

-A

Allow perl options to be passed to the executable first, like -D...

Adds -DALLOW_PERL_OPTIONS which omits -- from being added to the options handler.

-u package

Add package(s) to compiler and force linking to it.

-U package

Skip package(s). Do not compile and link the package and its sole dependencies.

--stash

Detect external packages automatically via B::Stash

--static

Link to static libperl.a

--staticxs

Link to static XS if available. If the XS libs are only available as shared libs link to those ("prelink").

Systems without rpath (windows, cygwin) must be extend LD_LIBRARY_PATH/PATH at run-time. Together with -static, purely static modules and no run-time eval or require this will gain no external dependencies.

--shared

Link to shared libperl

--sharedxs

Link shared XSUBs if the linker supports it. No DynaLoader needed. This will still require the shared XSUB libraries to be installed at the client, modification of @INC in the source is probably required. (Not yet implemented)

-m|--sharedlib [Modulename]

Create a module, resp. a shared library. Currently only enabled for Bytecode and CC. (not yet tested)

--testsuite

Tries be nice to Test:: modules, like preallocating the file handles 4 and 5, and munge the output of BEGIN.

perlcc -r --testsuite t/harness
--time

Benchmark the different phases c (B::* compilation), cc (cc compile + link), and r (runtime).

--no-spawn

Do not spawn subprocesses for compilation, because broken shells might not be able to kill its children.