Understanding GHC: Haskell Compiler Optimizations and Static Analysis

Haskell is celebrated for its high-level abstractions, but how does the Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC) transform elegant functional code into blazing-fast machine instructions? To write truly high-performance Haskell, you need to understand what happens under the hood during compilation. This text-only course demystifies the inner workings of GHC, guiding you through static analysis, intermediate representations, and program transformation. You will discover how GHC analyzes code structure, performs optimizations, and applies rewrite rules, empowering you to write Haskell code that aligns perfectly with the compiler's strengths. What you'll learn: 1. Understand the GHC compilation pipeline from source code to machine instructions. 2. Analyze GHC Core to see how your high-level Haskell is represented and optimized internally. 3. Apply rewrite rules using compiler pragmas to optimize custom functions and libraries. 4. Master static analysis concepts, including strictness and demand analysis, to prevent space leaks. 5. Configure optimization flags and inspect compiler phases to identify performance bottlenecks. 6. Practice writing performance-oriented Haskell using inlining, specialization, and worker-wrapper transformations. Starting with foundational compiler definitions and the GHC execution model, this course walks you through intermediate representations, optimization passes, and practical performance analysis. Designed for developers with a basic grasp of Haskell, this course requires no prior compiler design experience. Start reading today to unlock the full performance potential of GHC.