Installation¶

FastC is currently distributed as source code. Follow these steps to build and install it.

Prerequisites¶

Ensure you have the following installed:

Rust 1.70 or later
Git
A C compiler (gcc, clang, or MSVC)

Installing Rust¶

If you don't have Rust installed:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Verify the installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Building from Source¶

1. Clone the Repository¶

git clone https://github.com/Skelf-Research/fastc.git
cd fastc

2. Build the Project¶

cargo build --release

This creates the fastc binary in target/release/.

3. Install (Optional)¶

To install system-wide:

cargo install --path crates/fastc

Or manually copy the binary:

# Linux/macOS
sudo cp target/release/fastc /usr/local/bin/

# Or add to your PATH
export PATH="$PATH:$(pwd)/target/release"

Verify Installation¶

Check that FastC is working:

fastc --help

You should see:

FastC transpiler - compile FastC to C11

Usage: fastc <COMMAND>

Commands:
  compile  Compile a FastC source file to C
  check    Type-check a FastC source file without emitting C
  fmt      Format a FastC source file
  new      Create a new FastC project
  init     Initialize a FastC project in the current directory
  build    Build the project using fastc.toml configuration
  run      Build, compile, and run the project
  fetch    Fetch project dependencies without building
  help     Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)

Runtime Header¶

FastC programs need the runtime header fastc_runtime.h. The compiler automatically finds it when:

It's in the runtime/ directory relative to the executable
The FASTC_RUNTIME environment variable points to it
It's installed in /usr/local/share/fastc/runtime/

For manual compilation, use:

gcc -I/path/to/fastc/runtime your_file.c -o your_program

Troubleshooting¶

"command not found: fastc"¶

Ensure the binary is in your PATH:

# Check where it was installed
which fastc

# Or use the full path
/path/to/fastc/target/release/fastc --help

Build Errors¶

Make sure you have the latest Rust:

rustup update

C Compiler Not Found¶

The fastc run command needs a C compiler. Install one:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install gcc

# macOS
xcode-select --install

# Fedora
sudo dnf install gcc

Next Steps¶

Now that FastC is installed, proceed to the Quick Start Guide to create your first project.