Getting Started with Verilog

Last Updated : 19 Apr, 2025

For a long time, computer programming languages like FORTRAN, Pascal, and C were used to describe computer programs and their code execution is sequential. But there isn't any language to describe the digital circuits. This is when Hardware Description Language(HDL) came into play. HDLs are even popular for verification purposes. There are mainly two types of HDL:

Verilog HDL
VHDL (Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language)

Note: Verilog HDL and VHDL aren't the same. VHDL was used before Verilog came into existence.

What is Verilog?

Verilog is a hardware description language that is used to realize the digital circuits through code. Verilog HDL is commonly used for design (RTL) and verification (Testbench Development) purposes for both Field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC).

There are mainly three levels of abstraction (Different perspectives or views at which a design can be viewed or analyzed) for writing in Verilog:

Gate Level Modeling
Data-flow Modeling
Behavioral Modeling

Note: Before diving into the abstraction levels, let us first learn what is RTL.

Register Transfer Level (RTL): Register transfer level is a low-level abstraction used in digital design to describe the behavior and functionality of a digital circuit or system. RTL is a general approach that describes digital circuits in terms of data flow at register level.

Gate Level Modeling

If a circuit is represented completely using basic gates it is called gate level modeling. For example refer the below circuit of half adder where we can represent it simply using the AND and XOR gates.

This level of abstraction involves describing the circuit using primitive logic gates such as AND, OR, XOR, etc. This level provides a detailed representation of the circuit's structure and logic. Given Below is the RTL Code for Half Adder.

module half_adder(input a,b, output sum,carry);
xor x1(sum, a, b);
and a1(carry, a, b);
endmodule

Data-Flow Modeling

In this level of abstraction we make use of the functions that define the working of the circuit instead of it's gate structure. This abstraction level mainly focuses on the flow of data through the circuit logic gates or functional expressions.

module half_adder(input a,b, output sum,carry); assign sum = a ^ b; assign carry = a & b; endmodule

Behavioral Modeling

This is the highest level of abstraction in Verilog. At this level the designers describe the functionality of the circuit without specifying the functionality and structure of digital circuit. This modeling will be helpful because it focuses on what the circuit should do rather than how it should be implemented.

module half_adder(input a,b, output reg sum,carry); always@(*) begin sum = a ^ b; carry = a & b; endmodule

Lexical Tokens

Lexical tokens are the basic building blocks of Verilog code that are keywords, identifiers, operators. They are like a way of communicating with the language and are useful for constructing Verilog statements and expressions. Some of the lexical tokens are:

White space
Comments
Numbers
Operators
Identifiers and Keywords
Datatypes
- Nets
- Registers
Module declaration

White Space

In Verilog, we use this white spaces in output commands like $display, $monitor, $strobe etc. In this "\t" represents tab space, "\n" represents new line.

Comments

There are 2 ways for writing comments in Verilog. One way is to enclose the comment in "/*........*/" . This will be helpful when there are multi-lined comments. and another way is to append "//" at the beginning of the sentence. This will be helpful for writing comments that are single-lined or of short context.

/* This is an example for Multi-lined comment. Hello there welcome to Verilog tutorial */ //this is a example for single line comment. //Hello there.

Numbers

There are mainly 4 used number systems in Verilog. They are

Binary: b or B
Octal: o or O
Decimal: d or D
Hexadecimal: h or H

So numbers are represented in Verilog using the following format. <size>'<base><number>. In Verilog, it takes default size of 32 bits. If both the base and size are not mentioned it takes default of 32 bits and decimal number system notation.

For example: 4'b1100 is same as 4'd12 in decimal notation.

'b0111 is same as 00000000000000000000000000000111

123 by default is a 32 bit decimal number.

If any negative number is represented, by default it will be converted to 2's complement form.

Operators

There are mainly 3 types of operators, they are:

High-Speed

Unary Operators

In this the operators like (+, -, ^, %, ~) appear to the left of the operand. For example,

x = ~y;

In this you can observe for the literal y, the operator is to the left of y.

Binary Operators

In this, the operators appear in between the operands. For example:

X = Y ^ Z;

In this we can observe that the operator(^) is in between the operands Y and Z.

Ternary/Conditional Operators

This Ternary operators are like a simple if else statements but they are written in a single line. They are represented in the format:

Conditional_expression ? True_expression : False_expression

For example,

X = (A && B && C) : 1'b1 : 1'b0;

Here if the expression evaluates (A && B && C) to 1 then the true expression i.e 1'b1 will be given as output else 1'b0 will be given as output.

Identifiers and Keywords

Identifier is the name given to a function, task or for a module in Verilog. These Identifiers must be in lowercase and they are case sensitive. Characters like Numbers, underscore, special characters like $ can be used for naming the identifier but they cannot be used as the first character of the identifier because they are reserved for some inbuilt function in Verilog.

For example identifier names like: my_identifier, my_identifier1, my_identifier$ can be used but identifiers like 1my_identifier, $my_identifier are illegal.

Datatypes

There are 4 basic values in Verilog:

Value Level	Description
0	Logical Zero, False
1	Logical One, True
X	Unknown Value
Z	High impedance state

The main intention of using a datatype in Verilog is to represent data storage elements like bits in a flip flop and transmission elements like wires that connect between logic gates, sequential and combinational circuits. There are mainly 2 types of data types in Verilog. They are

1. Nets

Nets are continuously driven by the combinational logic circuits. It means it cannot store any values. It is represented by the keyword "wire" on the LHS. Default value of a net is 'Z' , which is a high impedance state.

wire a, b, y; assign y = a & b;

Here the variables are declared by the datatype of wire and for the variable y a keyword "assign" is used to drive the value of the RHS (a & b) to y.

2. Regs

Point to be noted, Reg is different from hardware register. Declaring a Reg doesn't mean declaring a flip flop or a latch but it represents a storage element unlike net. A Reg is a datatype that we can use only through procedural statements.

reg a, b, y; always@(posedge clock) begin y = a & b; end

Module Declaration

Given Below is the Code for module declaration

module helper(a, b, y, z); input a, b; output y, z; y = a & b; z = a | b; endmodule

In the above code, module signifies declaration of a module and helper signifies the name assigned to the module.
The operands written in the brackets(a, b, y, z) are the input and output ports in the digital circuit. This port declaration can be empty also.
In the code the ports a, b are declared as input ports and y, z are declared as output ports.
Semicolon(";") in the code signifies the termination of a module statement.
In the code y and z declaration represents the individual statements within the module.
"endmodule" keyword represents the termination of a module.

Always Block in Verilog

Always block is a procedural block. It describes sequential circuits (latches, flip-flops) or combinational circuits. All always blocks are executed in parallel, But actually, they are executed in an order determined by the simulation tool. Signals assigned inside always block must be of type reg.

Sensitivity List

It contains signals that affect outputs.
In case of any change to the values of the signals in the sensitivity list, outputs must be reevaluated.
It's specified by adding the @ symbol before the round brackets.
The * symbol means adding all inputs to the sensitivity list. If the sensitivity list is not specified, it means that the always block will remain in execution.

Blocking VS Non-Blocking Assignment

	Blocking	Non-Blocking
Symbol	=	<=
How it's executed	Executed Sequentially. Blocks next statements until it is executed. LHS is updated after reading RHS of the same statement.	Executed in Parallel. RHS is read immediately, but updating LHS starts after all reads are scheduled.
Purpose	Describe Multi-level Combinational Logic.	Describe Flip-flop assignment at the same time regardless to the order or the dependence.
If not triggered	If not triggered, it is uninitialized.	If not triggered, it keeps the last value.

Don’t use both of them in the same always block.

Different Classification of Verilog

Verilog-1995: Verilog-1995, also known as IEEE Standard 1364-1995, is the initial version of Verilog that introduced the language's basic syntax and features. It provides the fundamental constructs for describing digital circuits, including modules, ports, data types (wire, reg), and basic behavioral and structural modeling techniques.

Verilog-2001: Verilog-2001, an extension of Verilog-1995, introduced several new features and enhancements to the language to improve code readability, re-usability, and ease of design. It addressed some limitations of the previous version and introduced new constructs for better modeling and verification.

System Verilog: System Verilog is a significant extension of Verilog that adds new features and capabilities for both design and verification. It incorporates features from the Vera and Specman languages, providing a comprehensive solution for design, verification, and system-level modeling.

Verilog-AMS (Analog and Mixed-Signal): Verilog-AMS is an extension of Verilog that enables modeling of analog and mixed-signal systems alongside digital logic. It provides constructs for describing continuous-time analog behavior, such as voltage and current, in addition to digital signals and logic.

Difference Between Verilog HDL and VHDL

Given Below is the Table for the difference between Verilog HDL and VHDL

Verilog HDL	VHDL (Very High Speed Integrated Circuit HDL)
Easy syntax and resembles C language and less complex.	Complex Syntax and difficult to understand for a beginner.
Executes code in concurrent and sequential manner.	Executes code in concurrent and sequential manner.
Mostly used in defense and aerospace industries.	Mostly used in Semiconductor Industry.
Used in Safety and mission critical applications.	Used for ASIC and FPGA design.

Advantages of Verilog

Concise Syntax: Verilog has a straightforward syntax that allows for quick and efficient coding of digital circuits.
Industry Standard: It is widely used and accepted in the semiconductor industry, making it easier to collaborate with others and access resources.
Simulation and Synthesis: Verilog supports both simulation and synthesis, allowing designers to verify their designs and translate them into actual hardware.
Hierarchical Design: Verilog enables hierarchical design, which allows for the creation of complex systems by breaking them down into smaller, manageable modules.

Disadvantages of Verilog

Steep Learning Curve: Verilog can be a bit difficult to understand for beginners due to syntax and concepts and takes time to get proficient.
Tool Dependency: Verilog design requires specialized tools for synthesis, simulation, and verification, which may come with associated costs and compatibility issues.
Version Compatibility: Compatibility issues may arise when using different versions of Verilog or when interfacing with third-party tools and libraries.
Verification Challenges: While Verilog supports simulation-based verification, establishing comprehensive test benches and ensuring complete coverage can be complex and time-consuming.

Applications of Verilog

Embedded Systems: Verilog is used to design hardware components in embedded systems like microcontrollers and FPGAs.
Digital Signal Processing: Verilog enables the implementation of DSP algorithms in hardware for applications like audio and video processing.
Networking: Verilog is utilized in the design of networking hardware such as routers, switches, and network interface cards.
ASIC Design: Verilog is commonly employed in application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design for custom hardware implementations.
Autonomous Vehicles: Verilog finds applications in automotive electronics for systems like engine control units and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

Getting Started with Verilog

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Article Tags :

Getting Started with Verilog

What is Verilog?

Gate Level Modeling

Data-Flow Modeling

Behavioral Modeling

Lexical Tokens

White Space

Comments

Numbers

Operators

Identifiers and Keywords

Datatypes

Module Declaration

Always Block in Verilog

Sensitivity List

Blocking VS Non-Blocking Assignment

Different Classification of Verilog

Difference Between Verilog HDL and VHDL

Advantages of Verilog

Disadvantages of Verilog

Applications of Verilog

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