How does Julia’s compiler pipeline work from source code to execution?

Julia compiles code through parsing → type inference → IR generation → LLVM optimization → machine code execution.

Julia’s execution model is based on a multi-stage compilation pipeline. First, source code is parsed into an AST. Then it is lowered into Julia’s intermediate representation (IR). The compiler performs type inference to determine concrete types. This IR is optimized (inlining, constant propagation, dead code elimination). Finally, LLVM compiles it into machine code for the specific CPU architecture. This happens at runtime via JIT compilation, enabling specialization per argument type signature.