byacc ☆

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Description:
(Arguably) the best yacc variant

Type: Formula | Latest Version: 20241231@0 | Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: parser-generator compiler development yacc c

Install: brew install byacc

About:
Berkeley Yacc (byacc) is a parser generator that reads a grammar specification and generates C code for a parser. It is widely regarded as a robust and efficient implementation of the Yacc utility, serving as a foundational tool for building compilers and interpreters. Its primary value lies in its stability and compatibility with existing Yacc grammars.

Key Features:

Generates LALR(1) parsers in C
Highly compatible with traditional Berkeley Yacc
Produces compact and efficient parsing tables
Supports verbose error reporting for debugging

Use Cases:

Generating parsers for custom programming languages
Building interpreters and compilers
Processing structured data or configuration files

Alternatives:

bison – GNU's Yacc-compatible parser generator with additional features like GLR parsing
flex – A fast lexical analyzer generator, often used in tandem with parser generators like byacc

License: LicenseRef-Homebrew-public-domain

Bottles available for: arm64_tahoe, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, arm64_linux, x86_64_linux

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 11, 2025 9:50am		0	VERSION_BUMP	08535ecc
Jan 1, 2025 1:50pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	9172c3ed