Closing the Gap – The Formally Verified Optimizing Compiler CompCert

CompCert is the first commercially available optimizing compiler that is formally verified, using machine-assisted mathematical proofs, to be free from miscompilation. The executable code it produces is proved to behave exactly as specified by the semantics of the source C program. CompCert's intended use is the compilation of safety-critical and mission-critical software meeting high levels of assurance. This article gives an overview of the design of CompCert and its proof concept, summarizes the resulting confidence argument, and gives an overview of relevant tool qualification strategies. We briefly summarize practical experience and give an overview of recent CompCert developments.