Generate C source code from JavaScript or TypeScript using Porffor’s 2c (Wasm → C) compiler.
2c is Porffor’s experimental WebAssembly to C compiler. The generated C code is functional but still in development.
Usage porf c [flags] input.js [output.c]
When no output file is specified, C code is printed to stdout.
Examples Output to file
Output to stdout
With optimization
TypeScript input
porf c script.js output.c
Arguments JavaScript or TypeScript source file to compile
Output C source file (optional - prints to stdout if omitted)
Compilation Flags Porffor optimization level (affects generated Wasm and C) porf c -O0 script.js output.c # No optimization porf c -O3 script.js output.c # Maximum optimization
Include debug information
Preserves variable and function names
Adds comments and debug markers
More readable C output
porf c -d script.js output.c
Value type: i32 or f64 porf c --valtype=i32 script.js output.c
TypeScript Support Enable TypeScript parsing
Use type annotations for optimization porf c --parse-types --opt-types script.ts output.c
Generated C Code The output C code:
Is standard C (C99/C11 compatible)
Requires minimal dependencies (just math.h)
Can be compiled with any C compiler
Contains little boilerplate or preluded code
Example Workflow # Generate C code porf c script.js output.c # Compile with any C compiler gcc -lm -O3 output.c -o myapp clang -lm -O3 output.c -o myapp zig cc -lm -O3 output.c -o myapp # Run the executable ./myapp
Output to Stdout Useful for inspecting or piping:
View in pager
Count
Compile directly
Save and compile
Inspecting Generated Code Readable output
Optimized output
View specific functions
# Use debug mode for readable C porf c -d script.js output.c
Compilation Options Once you have C code, compile it with various options:
# Basic gcc -lm output.c -o myapp # Optimized gcc -lm -O3 -fomit-frame-pointer -s output.c -o myapp # Maximum optimization gcc -lm -Ofast -flto -march=native output.c -o myapp # Debug gcc -lm -O0 -g output.c -o myapp_debug
# Basic clang -lm output.c -o myapp # Optimized clang -lm -O3 -fomit-frame-pointer output.c -o myapp # Maximum optimization clang -lm -Ofast -flto -march=native output.c -o myapp # Debug clang -lm -O0 -g output.c -o myapp_debug
# Basic zig cc -lm output.c -o myapp # Optimized zig cc -lm -O3 output.c -o myapp # Cross-compile zig cc -target x86_64-windows -lm output.c -o myapp.exe
Use Cases 1. Understanding Compilation Inspect how JavaScript is translated:
porf c -d simple.js | less
2. Custom Build Process Integrate into existing C build systems:
# In Makefile myapp.c: script.js porf c $ < $@ myapp: myapp.c gcc -lm -O3 $ < -o $@
3. Cross-Compilation Generate C once, compile for multiple platforms:
# Generate C porf c script.js output.c # Compile for different platforms gcc -lm output.c -o myapp_linux x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc -lm output.c -o myapp.exe zig cc -target aarch64-macos -lm output.c -o myapp_mac
4. Manual Optimization Edit generated C for specific optimizations:
porf c -d script.js output.c # Edit output.c manually gcc -lm -O3 output.c -o myapp
Code Structure The generated C code typically includes:
#include <math.h> #include <stdint.h> #include <stdlib.h> // Memory management static uint8_t * memory; static size_t memory_size; // Generated functions void func_0 () { /* ... */ } void func_1 () { /* ... */ } // Main entry point int main () { // Initialize memory // Call main function return 0 ; }
Advanced Options Enable Cyclone optimizer (affects C output) porf c --cyclone script.js output.c
Log compilation performance porf c --profile-compiler script.js output.c
Comparing with Native Command The porf c and porf native commands are related:
# These are equivalent: porf native script.js myapp # Is the same as: porf c script.js temp.c clang -lm -Ofast -flto temp.c -o myapp strip myapp
Use porf native for convenience, porf c for control and inspection.
Maximum Porffor optimization
Debugging
Fast iteration
porf c -O3 --cyclone script.js output.c gcc -lm -Ofast -flto -march=native output.c -o myapp
Limitations
Generated C is platform-independent but requires C compiler
No WASI or standard imports included
Requires math.h for mathematical operations
Not human-written quality (machine-generated)
Troubleshooting C Compilation Errors # Try debug mode for more readable C porf c -d script.js output.c # Check C compiler compatibility gcc --version clang --version
Missing Math Library # Always link math library gcc -lm output.c -o myapp clang -lm output.c -o myapp
Large C Files # Use optimization to reduce size porf c -O3 script.js output.c # Or compile with aggressive optimization gcc -lm -O3 -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections -Wl,--gc-sections output.c -o myapp
Next Steps
Native Compilation Compile directly to executables
Wasm Output Generate WebAssembly instead
Profile First Optimize before compiling
Run Code Test before generating C