Compiler Construction
Compiler Construction by Niklaus Wirthby Niklaus Wirth
Shares rank 5 of 9 compiler textbooks by recommenders
A short, accessible introduction to compiler construction that people recommend for its brevity and clarity; one reader notes you'll want part 2 as well.
A short, accessible introduction to compiler construction that people recommend for its brevity and clarity; one reader notes you'll want part 2 as well.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Short book with a lot of content
“Great, short book with a lot to say.”
Comment from 8 Feb 2026 in “Tiny C Compiler” Extremely accessible introduction to compilers
“extremely accessible book on Compiler Construction”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Revisiting "Let's Build a Compiler"” Pairs with a second part
“You'll want part 2 as well for a total of 107 pages.”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “Want to Write a Compiler? Just Read These Two Papers (2008)”
Other compiler textbooks people recommend
The four most recommended other compiler textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Toolsby Aho, Sethi and Ullman | 23 | 17 | 58% | 9 | — | — |
| Modern Compiler Implementationby Andrew Appel | 9 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Writing a C Compilerby Nora Sandler | 8 | 2 | 80% | 8 | — | — |
| Engineering a Compilerby Cooper and Torczon | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Compiler Constructionby Niklaus WirthThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“You'll want part 2 as well for a total of 107 pages.”
“Great, short book with a lot to say.”
“extremely accessible book on Compiler Construction”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.