How to Run C Code in NodeJS?

Last Updated : 28 May, 2024

Developers can take advantage of Node.js's robust ecosystem and performance by running C code within the framework. Child processes, Node.js extensions, and the Foreign Function Interface (FFI) can all assist in this. There is flexibility to integrate C code based on particular requirements, as each solution has its own advantages, disadvantages, and use cases.

These are the following approaches to run C code in nodeJs:

Table of Content

By using Native Addons

To connect JavaScript and C/C++ code, Node.js offers a feature called "Native Addons.". This approach involves writing C/C++ code and compiling it into a shared library, which is then loaded into Node.js using require().

Syntax:

const addon = require('./addon');
console.log(addon.method());

Example: This example shows the execution of C file using nodejs.

#include <node.h>  namespace demo {     using v8::FunctionCallbackInfo;     using v8::Isolate;     using v8::Local;     using v8::Object;     using v8::String;     using v8::Value;      void Method(const FunctionCallbackInfo<Value>& args) {         Isolate* isolate = args.GetIsolate();         args.GetReturnValue().Set(String::NewFromUtf8(isolate, "Hello from GFG"));     }      void Initialize(Local<Object> exports) {         NODE_SET_METHOD(exports, "method", Method);     }      NODE_MODULE(NODE_GYP_MODULE_NAME, Initialize) }

JavaScript

const addon = require('./build/Release/addon'); console.log(addon.method());

Steps to run:

Step 1: Create a file called addon.cc and copy the C code into it.

Step 2: Create a file called binding.gyp in the same directory with the following content:

{
  "targets": [
    {
      "target_name": "addon",
      "sources": [ "addon.cc" ]
    }
  ]
}

Step 3: Open a terminal, navigate to the directory containing addon.cc and binding.gyp, and run the following commands to build the addon:

node-gyp configure
node-gyp build

Step 4: Create a file called app.js and copy the JavaScript code into it.

Step 5: Run the Node.js application with the following command:

node app.js

Output:

By using Child Processes

Node.js offers the child_process module, allowing execution of external processes. This approach involves spawning a child process to run a compiled C program and communicating with it via standard streams

Syntax:

const { exec } = require('child_process');
exec('./my_c_program', (err, stdout, stderr) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error(err);
    return;
  }
  console.log(stdout);
});

Example: This example shows the execution of C file using nodejs.

#include <stdio.h> int main() { printf("Hello from C\n"); return 0; }

JavaScript

const { exec } = require('child_process'); exec('./my_c_program', (err, stdout, stderr) => {   if (err) {     console.error(err);     return;   }   console.log(stdout); // Output: Hello from C });

Steps to run:

Step 1: Create a file called my_c_program.c and copy the C code into it.

Step 2: Compile the C code with the following command:

gcc -o my_c_program my_c_program.c

Step 3: Create a file called app.js and copy the JavaScript code into it.

Step 4: Run the Node.js application with the following command:

node app.js

Output:

By executing shell commands

Another approach is to execute C code as if it were a shell command. This method utilizes Node.js's `child_process` module to run the C compiler (`gcc`) and execute the compiled binary.

Syntax:

const { exec } = require('child_process');
exec('gcc -o my_c_program my_c_program.c && ./my_c_program', (err, stdout, stderr) => {
  if (err) {
    console.error(err);
    return;
  }
  console.log(stdout);
});

Example: This example shows the execution of C file using nodejs.

#include <stdio.h> int main() { printf("Hello from C\n"); return 0; }

JavaScript

const { exec } = require('child_process'); exec('gcc -o my_c_program my_c_program.c &&     ./my_c_program', (err, stdout, stderr) => {   if (err) {     console.error(err);     return;   }   console.log(stdout); });

Steps to run:

Step 1: Create a file called my_c_program.c and copy the C code into it.

Step 2: Create a file called app.js and copy the JavaScript code into it.

Step 3: Run the Node.js application with the following command:

node app.js

Output:

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Article Tags :

How to Run C Code in NodeJS?

By using Native Addons

Syntax:

Steps to run:

By using Child Processes

Syntax:

Steps to run:

By executing shell commands

Syntax:

Steps to run:

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