BF Just-in-Time Compiler

On crates.io

A very over-engineered BrainFuck interpreter/optimizing JIT compiler written in rust. Done from first-principles without any research or examination of prior art*.

*Update: The aarch64 implementation in src/runnable/jit/code_gen/aarch64.rs was written almost entirely by Claude 4 Opus.

Support

JIT

• Linux x86-64 (GNU/musl)
• Linux aarch64 (GNU/musl)
• MacOS x86-64
• MacOS aarch64

Interpreter Only

• Linux x86

Setup

If you are using VS Code or derivative editors, it's recommended to install the Rust Analyzer extension and configure your editor to check all supported targets:

# First install all supported targets so "cargo check --target $TARGET" works
rustup target add x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
rustup target add aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
rustup target add i686-unknown-linux-gnu
rustup target add x86_64-apple-darwin
rustup target add aarch64-apple-darwin

Add these keys to .vscode/settings.json:

{
    "rust-analyzer.cargo.allTargets": true,
    "rust-analyzer.cargo.buildScripts.enable": true,
    "rust-analyzer.check.targets": [
        "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu",
        "aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu",
        "i686-unknown-linux-gnu",
        "x86_64-apple-darwin",
        "aarch64-apple-darwin",
    ],
}

Usage

Fucker

Usage:
  fucker [--int] <program>
  fucker (--ast) <program>
  fucker (-h | --help)

Options:
  -h --help     Show this screen.
  --ast         Display intermediate language.
  --int         Use an interpreter instead of the JIT compiler.

What is BrainFuck?

BrainFuck is an esoteric programming language designed to be both turing complete and easy to compile. The environment provides the programmer with an a 30,000 cell array of unsigned bytes and a data pointer. There are only 8 single character commands:

• + : Increment the current memory cell by 1 (with wrapping overflow)
• - : Decrement the current memory cell by 1 (with wrapping underflow)
• > : Shift the data pointer to the next memory cell
• < : Shift the data pointer to the previous memory cell
• . : Output the current memory cell as an ASCII character
• , : Read one ASCII character from stdin
• [ : Jump to the matching ] if the current memory cell is 0
• ] : Jump to the matching [ if the current memory cell is not 0

Implementation

Parser and AST

The compiler first parses BrainFuck source code into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) representation. This intermediate representation enables optimizations before execution:

#[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq)]
pub enum AstNode {
    /// Add to the current memory cell.
    Incr(u8),
    /// Remove from the current memory cell.
    Decr(u8),
    /// Shift the data pointer to the right.
    Next(u16),
    /// Shift the data pointer to the left.
    Prev(u16),
    /// Display the current memory cell as an ASCII character.
    Print,
    /// Read one character from stdin.
    Read,
    /// Set a literal value in the current cell.
    Set(u8),
    /// Add the current cell to the cell n spaces away and set the current cell to 0.
    AddTo(i16),
    /// Subtract the current cell from the cell n spaces away and set the current cell to 0.
    SubFrom(i16),
    /// Multiply current cell by a factor and add to cell at offset, then set current to 0.
    MultiplyAddTo(i16, u8),
    /// Copy current cell to multiple offsets, then set current to 0.
    CopyTo(Vec<i16>),
    /// Loop over the contained instructions while the current memory cell is
    /// not zero.
    Loop(VecDeque<AstNode>),
}

Optimization Techniques

The compiler implements several optimization passes during AST construction:

1. Run-Length Encoding

Sequential identical operations are combined into single instructions with counts:

• ++++ becomes Incr(4)
• >>>> becomes Next(4)
• ---- becomes Decr(4)
• <<<< becomes Prev(4)

This optimization alone provides an approximately 3x speedup on typical BrainFuck programs.

2. Loop Pattern Recognition

Common BrainFuck idioms are detected and replaced with optimized operations:

Zero loops: [-] or [+] → Set(0)

• Replaces loops that simply zero the current cell

Move loops: [-<+>] → AddTo(-1)

• Detects patterns that move the current cell's value to another location
• Supports both addition (AddTo) and subtraction (SubFrom) variants
• Works with arbitrary offsets in either direction

3. Constant Folding

Operations on literal values are computed at compile time:

• Set(5) followed by Incr(3) becomes Set(8)

Execution Backends

The compiler supports two execution modes:

Interpreter Backend

A traditional bytecode interpreter that executes the optimized AST directly. This provides:

• Guaranteed compatibility across all architectures
• Fallback when JIT compilation is unavailable

The interpreter uses a simple virtual machine with:

• 30,000+ cell memory array (dynamically expandable)
• Program counter and data pointer
• Stack-based loop handling with pre-computed jump offsets

JIT Compiler Backend

A Just-In-Time compiler that generates native machine code for maximum performance.

Supported Architectures:

• x86-64
• AArch64

JIT Compilation Strategy: The JIT uses a hybrid approach combining Ahead-of-Time (AOT) and Just-in-Time compilation:

1. Small loops (< 22 instructions): Compiled immediately (AOT)
2. Large loops: Deferred compilation using a promise system
3. Hot code paths: Compiled on first execution, cached for subsequent runs

Code Generation:

• Direct assembly generation without external assemblers
• Register allocation optimized for BrainFuck's memory model:
  • r10/x19: Data pointer register
  • r11/x20: JIT context pointer
  • r12/x21: Virtual function table pointer
• Efficient calling conventions for I/O operations
• Proper stack frame management and callee-saved register preservation

Assembly Code Examples:

The JIT compiler generates native assembly for each BrainFuck operation:

Increment (++++ → Incr(4)):

; x86-64
add    BYTE PTR [r10], 4

; AArch64
ldrb   w8, [x19]
add    w8, w8, #4
strb   w8, [x19]

Pointer movement (>>>> → Next(4)):

; x86-64
add    r10, 4

; AArch64
add    x19, x19, #4

Cell zeroing ([-] → Set(0)):

; x86-64
mov    BYTE PTR [r10], 0

; AArch64
mov    w8, #0
strb   w8, [x19]

Move operation ([-<+>] → AddTo(-1)):

; x86-64
movzx  eax, BYTE PTR [r10]    ; Load current cell
add    BYTE PTR [r10-1], al   ; Add to target cell
mov    BYTE PTR [r10], 0      ; Zero current cell

; AArch64
ldrb   w8, [x19]              ; Load current cell
ldrb   w9, [x19, #-1]         ; Load target cell
add    w9, w9, w8             ; Add values
strb   w9, [x19, #-1]         ; Store to target
mov    w8, #0                 ; Zero current cell
strb   w8, [x19]

Memory Management:

• Executable memory pages allocated with proper permissions
• Automatic cleanup of compiled code fragments
• Promise-based deferred compilation for memory efficiency

Control Flow Handling

Loops are the most complex aspect of BrainFuck compilation:

• AOT loops: Small loops are compiled inline with conditional jumps
• JIT loops: Large loops use a callback mechanism:
  1. First execution triggers compilation via callback
  2. Compiled code is cached in a promise table
  3. Subsequent executions call the cached native code directly

Jump Resolution:

• Forward jumps ([) use conditional branches that skip the loop body
• Backward jumps (]) use conditional branches that return to loop start
• Jump distances are computed during compilation for optimal instruction selection

I/O System

Both backends use an I/O system supporting:

• Standard input/output (default)
• Custom readers/writers for testing
• Proper error handling for EOF conditions
• UTF-8/ASCII character handling

The JIT compiler implements I/O through a virtual function table, allowing:

• Efficient native code calls to Rust I/O functions
• Consistent behavior between interpreter and JIT modes
• Easy testing with mock I/O streams

Benchmarks

Ran on mandelbrot.bf.

Intel Core i5-3230M

Version	Runtime
Naive Interpreter	56.824s
Optimized Interpreter	19.055s
Optimized JIT	1.06s

Apple M3

Version	Runtime
Optimized Interpreter	8.18s
Optimized JIT	0.39s