Static linking is essential when distributing OCaml binaries across systems without managing runtime dependencies. OCaml supports two main approaches: glibc-based static linking (which retains some dynamic dependencies) and musl-based static linking (producing truly portable binaries). Static Linking with glibc The simplest approach uses glibc with the -static flag passed to the C linker. Since OCaml…
In OCaml, the standard library provides straightforward functions for writing to standard output and standard error. Printing to STDOUT Use print_endline to write a string followed by a newline to standard output: print_endline “hello world!” This function is in the Stdlib module (formerly Pervasives in older OCaml versions) and automatically flushes the output buffer. The…
Measuring the execution time of a function is useful for profiling and optimization work. OCaml provides straightforward tools for this. Basic approach with Unix.gettimeofday The simplest method uses Unix.gettimeofday(), which returns wall-clock time as a float with microsecond precision: let time f = let t = Unix.gettimeofday () in let res = f () in…
When your OCaml program crashes with Fatal error: Exception “Stack_overflow” but doesn’t tell you where the problem originated, you need to enable backtrace reporting. The process is straightforward but requires recompilation. Enable Debug Symbols and Backtraces First, recompile your program with the -g flag to include debug information: ocamlopt -g -o myprogram myprogram.ml If you’re…
The OCaml compiler only finds the standard library (List, Array, etc.) by default. Third-party libraries require you to explicitly tell the compiler where to find them. Using ocamlfind The standard approach is ocamlfind, a package manager that tracks installed libraries and their locations. It’s part of the OPAM ecosystem and should already be installed if…
To generate native assembly code (x86-64 asm, ARM64, etc.) from OCaml’s native compiler, use the -S flag along with other optimization-related options: ocamlopt -S -inline 20 -nodynlink not.ml -o not.opt This produces a .s file containing the generated assembly. The flags break down as: -S — Stop after assembly generation and keep the .s file…
OCaml provides robust FFI (Foreign Function Interface) capabilities for calling C code. This is essential when you need to use existing C libraries or write performance-critical sections in C. Using the Unix Module The simplest approach for Unix/Linux system calls is the built-in Unix module, which wraps common POSIX functions without requiring manual FFI binding….