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A framework for call graph construction algorithms

Authors:

Craig ChambersAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS), Volume 23, Issue 6

Pages 685 - 746

https://doi.org/10.1145/506315.506316

Published: 01 November 2001 Publication History

Abstract

A large number of call graph construction algorithms for object-oriented and functional languages have been proposed, each embodying different tradeoffs between analysis cost and call graph precision. In this article we present a unifying framework for understanding call graph construction algorithms and an empirical comparison of a representative set of algorithms. We first present a general parameterized algorithm that encompasses many well-known and novel call graph construction algorithms. We have implemented this general algorithm in the Vortex compiler infrastructure, a mature, multilanguage, optimizing compiler. The Vortex implementation provides a "level playing field" for meaningful cross-algorithm performance comparisons. The costs and benefits of a number of call graph construction algorithms are empirically assessed by applying their Vortex implementation to a suite of sizeable (5,000 to 50,000 lines of code) Cecil and Java programs. For many of these applications, interprocedural analysis enabled substantial speed-ups over an already highly optimized baseline. Furthermore, a significant fraction of these speed-ups can be obtained through the use of a scalable, near-linear time call graph construction algorithm.

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Helm DKeidel SKampkötter ADüsing JRoth THermann BMezini MChristakis MPradel M(2024)Total Recall? How Good Are Static Call Graphs Really?Proceedings of the 33rd ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis10.1145/3650212.3652114(112-123)Online publication date: 11-Sep-2024
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Helm DRoth TKeidel SReif MMezini MChristakis MPradel M(2024)Unimocg: Modular Call-Graph Algorithms for Consistent Handling of Language FeaturesProceedings of the 33rd ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis10.1145/3650212.3652109(51-62)Online publication date: 11-Sep-2024
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Index Terms

A framework for call graph construction algorithms
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software notations and tools
    1. Compilers
    2. General programming languages
      1. Language features
        Classes and objects
        Procedures, functions and subroutines
      2. Language types
        Functional languages
        Object oriented languages

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems Volume 23, Issue 6

November 2001

112 pages

ISSN:0164-0925

EISSN:1558-4593

DOI:10.1145/506315

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Copyright © 2001 ACM.

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 November 2001

Published in TOPLAS Volume 23, Issue 6

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