Snek GC

A toy language implementation in C demonstrating two different garbage collection strategies: Mark and Sweep and Reference Counting.

Features

• Dual GC Modes: Switch between Mark & Sweep and Reference Counting at runtime.
• Bytecode Interpreter: A simple stack-based VM.
• Object System: Supports Integers, Floats, Strings, Vectors, and Arrays.

Building

Windows (MinGW/GCC): Run the build script:

.\build.bat

Running

Run the executable with a flag to select the GC mode:

• Mark and Sweep:

  .\snek_gc.exe -ms

• Reference Counting:

  .\snek_gc.exe -rc

Bytecode Execution

The VM executes a hardcoded bytecode sequence defined in main.c. To run your own programs, modify the code array in main.c and rebuild.

Available Opcodes (defined in ops.h)://you can extend if want to

• OP_CONST_INT (0): Followed by 4 bytes (little-endian integer). Pushes int to stack.
• OP_ADD (1): Pops two values, adds them, pushes result.
• OP_PRINT (2): Pops a value and prints it.
• OP_RETURN (3): Stops execution.

Example:

• in main.c file

Project Structure

• main.c: Entry point and CLI.
• snek_vm.c: Virtual machine and Mark & Sweep implementation.
• snek_refcount.c: Reference counting logic.
• snek_object.c: Object creation and management.
• stack.c: Generic stack implementation.
• ops.h: Bytecode opcode definitions.