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Arkade Compiler

The Arkade Compiler transforms high-level Arkade Script contracts into optimized Bitcoin Taproot scripts. It handles the complexity of Bitcoin Script generation, allowing developers to focus on contract logic rather than low-level script details.

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Basic Usage

arkadec contract.ark

This will compile your Arkade Script contract to a JSON file that can be used with Bitcoin Taproot libraries.

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Compiler Architecture

The Arkade Compiler consists of several components:

1. Lexer: Tokenizes the source code
2. Parser: Builds an abstract syntax tree (AST)
3. Type Checker: Verifies type correctness
4. Optimizer: Optimizes the AST for efficient execution
5. Code Generator: Generates Bitcoin Script from the optimized AST

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Compilation Process

The compilation process follows these steps:

1. Parse the Arkade Script source code
2. Analyze the contract structure and dependencies
3. For each function in the contract:
   • Generate the cooperative path (with server signature)
   • Generate the unilateral path (with timelock)
4. Optimize the generated scripts
5. Generate the Taproot output structure
6. Output the compiled contract in JSON format

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Compiler Options

The Arkade Compiler supports several command-line options:

# Compile with optimization level 2 (more aggressive)
arkadec --opt-level=2 contract.ark

# Output assembly instead of bytecode
arkadec --output=asm contract.ark

# Generate debug information
arkadec --debug contract.ark

# Specify output file
arkadec --output-file=contract.json contract.ark

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Compilation Artifacts

The compiler produces a JSON file containing:

• Contract metadata (name, version, etc.)
• Constructor parameters
• Function definitions
• Generated script for each function (both cooperative and unilateral paths)
• Source map for debugging

Example output:

{
  "contractName": "MyContract",
  "constructorInputs": [
    { "name": "user", "type": "pubkey" },
    { "name": "server", "type": "pubkey" }
  ],
  "functions": [
    {
      "name": "spend",
      "functionInputs": [
        { "name": "userSig", "type": "signature" }
      ],
      "serverVariant": true,
      "require": [
        { "type": "signature" },
        { "type": "serverSignature" }
      ],
      "asm": [
        "<user>",
        "<userSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG",
        "<SERVER_KEY>",
        "<serverSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "spend",
      "functionInputs": [
        { "name": "userSig", "type": "signature" }
      ],
      "serverVariant": false,
      "require": [
        { "type": "signature" },
        { "type": "older", "message": "Exit timelock of 144 blocks" }
      ],
      "asm": [
        "<user>",
        "<userSig>",
        "OP_CHECKSIG",
        "144",
        "OP_CHECKLOCKTIMEVERIFY",
        "OP_DROP"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "source": "...",
  "compiler": {
    "name": "arkade-script",
    "version": "0.1.0"
  },
  "updatedAt": "2023-03-06T01:27:51.391557+00:00"
}

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Script Optimization

The Arkade Compiler includes several optimization passes:

• Constant folding: Evaluates constant expressions at compile time
• Dead code elimination: Removes unreachable code
• Stack optimization: Minimizes stack operations
• Script size reduction: Compresses the generated script

These optimizations help reduce transaction fees and improve execution efficiency.

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Debugging Support

The compiler provides debugging support through:

• Source maps linking Bitcoin Script operations to Arkade Script source code
• Detailed error messages with line and column information
• Warnings for potential issues
• Simulation mode for testing contract execution

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Integration with Development Tools

The Arkade Compiler integrates with other development tools:

• Contract Simulator: Test contract execution in various scenarios
• Debugger: Step through contract execution to identify issues
• Contract Explorer: Visualize contract state and execution paths

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Future Directions

The Arkade Compiler roadmap includes:

• Formal verification: Mathematical proof of contract correctness
• Gas estimation: Predicting transaction fees before deployment
• Cross-contract compilation: Supporting contract composition
• Optimized library support: Pre-compiled common contract patterns

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Contributing

Contributions to the Arkade Compiler are welcome! Areas where help is particularly valuable:

• Optimization techniques
• Testing infrastructure
• Documentation improvements
• New language features

Please refer to the contribution guidelines in the repository for more information.