# Writing a C Compiler by Nora Sandler

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/writing-a-c-compiler/

8 people recommended Writing a C Compiler by Nora Sandler in Hacker News comments and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a hands-on, approachable first compiler book, less academic than a course. Caveat: readers should have written an interpreter before.

Summary written by Claude from 11 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 10 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Praised as a really good book (3 comments in the sample): "Writing a C Compiler is really good. I enjoyed myself doing it with Rust and Zig." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48875968)) "this really nice book by Nora Sandler: Writing a C Compiler" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47777675)) "still a very good book for writing your first compiler" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46217250))
- Approachable and fun, less academic (1 comment in the sample): "approachable and fun if you want a less academic approach" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46930763))
- Teaches a lot through guided projects (1 comment in the sample): "books that guide you through implementing complex systems projects from scratch" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46844813))

## Other compiler textbooks people recommend

- [Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools by Aho, Sethi and Ullman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools/): 16 recommend, 5 mixed, 15 criticize
- [Modern Compiler Implementation by Andrew Appel](https://hackerapproved.com/p/modern-compiler-implementation/): 8 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Engineering a Compiler by Cooper and Torczon](https://hackerapproved.com/p/engineering-a-compiler/): 6 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Compiler Construction by Niklaus Wirth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/compiler-construction/): 4 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Writing a C Compiler by Nora Sandler", https://hackerapproved.com/p/writing-a-c-compiler/ (8 recommend, 0 mixed, 2 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.