What it is
Clang is a compiler for C, C++ and Objective-C, part of the LLVM project. It turns source code into programs, with clear error messages and fast compiles, and comes with tools such as clang-format for formatting code and clang-tidy for finding bugs. It’s the default compiler on macOS and is used to build Chrome and Firefox.
Why it’s here
- Readable errors. Its messages point to the exact spot and often suggest the fix.
- Needed for builds. Some software compiles only with Clang, or needs its libraries.
- Code tools. Formatting and static analysis for C and C++ projects.
On CoreDesktop
Clang is installed from pacman. CoreDesktop includes it, with CMake, because Hermes Agent’s Matrix support builds a library that needs clang++. CoreDesktop also installs base-devel, Arch’s group of build tools: GCC, make, pkgconf and the rest of what’s needed to compile software and build AUR packages. update keeps them all current with the rest of the pacman packages.