Comparison of assemblers
This is an incomplete list of assemblers: computer programs that translate assembly language source code into binary programs. Some assemblers are components of a compiler system for a high level language and may have limited or no usable functionality outside of the compiler system. Some assemblers are hosted on the target processor and operating system, while other assemblers (cross-assemblers) may run under an unrelated operating system or processor. For example, assemblers for embedded systems are not usually hosted on the target system since it would not have the storage and terminal I/O to permit entry of a program from a keyboard. An assembler may have a single target processor or may have options to support multiple processor types. Very simple assemblers may lack features, such as macros, present in more powerful versions.
As part of a compiler suite
- GNU Assembler (GAS): GPL: many target instruction sets, including ARM architecture, Atmel AVR, x86, x86-64, Freescale 68HC11, Freescale v4e, Motorola 680x0, MIPS, PowerPC, IBM System z, TI MSP430, Zilog Z80.
- SDAS (fork of ASxxxx Cross Assemblers and part of the Small Device C Compiler project): GPL: several target instruction sets including Intel 8051, Zilog Z80, Freescale 68HC08, PIC microcontroller.
- The Amsterdam Compiler Kit (ACK) targets many architectures of the 1980s, including 6502, 6800, 680x0, ARM, x86, Zilog Z80 and Z8000.
- LLVM targets many platforms, however its main focus is not machine-dependent code generation; instead a more high-level typed assembly-like intermediate representation is used. Nevertheless for the most common targets the LLVM MC (machine code) project provides an assembler both as an integrated component of the compilers and as an external tool.
- Some other self-hosted native-targeted language implementations (like Go, Free Pascal, SBCL) have their own assemblers with multiple targets. They may be used for inline assembly inside the language, or even included as a library, but aren't always suitable for being used outside of their framework - no command-line tool exists, or only the intermediate representation can be used as their input, or the set of supported targets is very limited.
Single target assemblers
6502 assemblers
680x0 assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | FOSS | License | Instruction set | Host platform | Development active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASM-One Macro Assembler | Rune Gram-Madsen | No | Free | Motorola 680x0 | Commodore Amiga | No |
| GAS | GNU Project | Yes | Free | Motorola 680x0 | various | |
| VASM | Volker Barthelmann, Frank Wille | No | Proprietary | Motorola 680x0 | various | Yes |
| RMAC | James Hammons, George Nakos, Landon Dyer | Yes | Free | MOS Technology 6502 | Linux, Windows, macOS | Yes |
ARM assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | FOSS | License | Instruction set | Host platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAS | GNU Project | Yes | Free | ARM | various |
| VASM | Volker Barthelmann, Frank Wille | No | Free | ARM | various |
Mainframe Assemblers
POWER, PowerPC, and Power ISA assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | FOSS | License | Instruction set | Host platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAS | GNU Project | Yes | GNU GPL | POWER, PowerPC 74xx, PowerPC 970 | All platforms supported by GNU Binutils |
| IBM AIX assembler | IBM | No | Proprietary | POWER | IBM AIX |
| VASM | Volker Barthelmann, Frank Wille | No | Free | POWER, 40x, 440, 460, 6xx, 7xx, 7xxx, 860, Book-E, e300 and e500 | various |
x86 assemblers
- ^ Part of the MINIX 3 source tree, but without obvious development activity.
- ^ Developed by Interactive Systems Corporation in 1986 when they ported UNIX System V to Intel iAPX286 and 80386 architectures. Archetypical of ATT syntax because it was used as reference for GAS. Still used for The SCO Group's products, UnixWare and OpenServer.
- ^ Home site appears inactive. Also offered as part of FreeBSD Ports, in bcc-1995.03.12.
- ^ Active, supported, but unadvertised.
- ^ Developed in 1982 at MIT as a cross-assembler, it was picked up by Interactive Systems Corporation in 1983 when they developed PC/IX under IBM contract. The syntax was later used as base for ACK assembler, to be used in MINIX 1.x toolchain.
- ^ RosAsm project on WebArchive.org.
- ^ Part of the C++Builder Tool Chain, but not sold as a stand-alone product, or marketed since the CodeGear spin-off; Borland was still selling it until then. Version 5.0, the last, is dated 1996.
- ^ Turbo Assembler was developed as Turbo Editasm by Uriah Barnett from Speedware Inc (Sacramento, CA) between 1984 and 1987, then later sold to, or marketed by, Borland as their Turbo Assembler.
- ^ Last stable version 1.3.0 was released in August 2014, and low maintenance since then: https://github.com/yasm/yasm
x86-64 assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | Operating system | FOSS | License | Development active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FASM | Tomasz Grysztar | DOS, Unix-like, Windows | Yes | BSD | Yes |
| GAS | GNU Project | DOS, OS/2, Unix-like, Windows | Yes | GNU GPL | Yes |
| MASM | Microsoft | DOS, OS/2, Windows | No | Commercial | Yes |
| NASM | Simon Tatham, Julian Hall, Hans Peter Anvin, et al. | DOS, Linux, macOS, OS/2, Windows | Yes | BSD | Yes |
| Open Watcom Assembler | Watcom | DOS, FreeBSD, Linux, OS/2, Windows | approved by OSI, but not by FSF | Sybase Open Watcom Public | Yes |
| POASM | Windows, Windows Mobile | No | Freeware | Yes | |
| TCCASM | Fabrice Bellard | Unix-like, Windows | Yes | GNU LGPL | Yes |
| YASM[3] | DOS, Unix-like, Windows | Yes | BSD | Yes |
Z80 assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | Operating system / Host platform | FOSS | License | Development active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft MACRO-80 | Microsoft | CP/M, ISIS-II, TRSDOS, TEKDOS, MSX-DOS | No | Commercial | No |
| Zeus Assembler | Crystal Computing | ZX Spectrum | No | Commercial | No |
| z80asm | Unix-like, Windows | Yes | GNU GPL | No | |
| sjasmplus | Sjoerd Mastijn, Aprisobal, Peter Helcmanovský, ... | Unix-like, Windows | Yes | BSD | Yes |
| Rasm | Berge Edouard | Unix-like, Windows | Yes | MIT | Yes |
Other single target assemblers
Retargetable/cross-assemblers
| Assembler | Developer | FOSS | License | Instruction set | Host platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Macroassembler AS | Alfred Arnold | Free | 29xxx, AVR, 65816, ACE, F2MC-8L, F2MC-16L, HMCS400, 6301, 6309, H8/300(H), H8/500, SH7000 / SH7600 / SH7700, HuC6280, PPC403GA, 4004/4040, 8008, MCS-48, MCS-41, MCS-51, MCS-251, MCS-96/196/296, 8080/8085, [ | Win32, DOS/DPMI, DOS (no longer maintained), OS/2 (no longer maintained), Linux | |
| ASxxxx Cross Assemblers | Alan R. Baldwin | Yes | GNU GPL | 1802, S2650, SC/MP, MPS430, 6100, 61860, 6500, 6800(6802/6808), 6801(6803/HD6303), 6804, 6805, 68HC(S)08, 6809, 68HC11, 68HC(S)12, 68HC16, 740, 78K/0, 78K/0S, 8008, 8008S, 8048(8041/8022/8021), 8051, 8085(8080), AT89LP, 8X300(8X305), DS8XCXXX, AVR, EZ80, F2MC8L/FX, F8/3870, Game Boy(sm83), H8/3xx, Cypress PSoC(M8C), PIC, Rabbit 2000/3000, ST6, ST7, ST8, Z8, Z80(HD64180), and Z280 series | Win32, DOS, Linux, Android |
Notes and references
- Modification of IBM's Assembler F
- Xerox Corporation (1975). Xerox Assembly Program (AP) (PDF). Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- The Yasm Modular Assembler Project
External links
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