c2hs
Generate Haskell FFI bindings from C headers
TLDR
Generate Haskell bindings from C header
$ c2hs [header.h] [bindings.chs]
Specify include path$ c2hs -C -I[/path/to/includes] [bindings.chs]
Pass preprocessor defines$ c2hs -C -D[MACRO=value] [bindings.chs]
Specify output directory$ c2hs -o [output_dir] [bindings.chs]
Show help$ c2hs --help
SYNOPSIS
c2hs [options] header.h binding.chs
DESCRIPTION
c2hs is a C to Haskell interface generator that simplifies creating FFI bindings to C libraries. It extracts interface information from C header files and generates Haskell code with foreign imports and correct type marshaling.The tool processes .chs files containing Haskell code with embedded hooks that reference C structures and functions.
PARAMETERS
-C options
Pass options to C preprocessor (-I, -D, etc.)-o directory
Output directory for generated files-c compiler
Use specific C compiler--cppopts=options
C preprocessor options-d type
Dump internal information (trace, genbind, ctrav, chs)-k
Keep intermediate files--help
Show help--version
Show version
WORKFLOW
1. Write .chs file with Haskell code and C hooks2. Run c2hs to generate .hs file3. Compile generated Haskell module
CABAL INTEGRATION
Cabal automatically processes .chs files and runs c2hs with appropriate flags.
INSTALL
sudo apt install c2hs
sudo dnf install c2hs
sudo pacman -S c2hs
sudo zypper install c2hs
CAVEATS
Generated code is BSD licensed. Requires C header files to be accessible. Complex C constructs may need manual binding.