Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools is a computer science textbook by Alfred V. Aho, Monica S. Lam, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman about compiler construction for programming languages. First published in 1986, it is widely regarded as the classic definitive compiler technology text.
It is known as the Dragon Book to generations of computer scientists as its cover depicts a knight and a dragon in battle, a metaphor for conquering complexity. This name can also refer to Aho and Ullman's older Principles of Compiler Design.
First edition
The first edition (1986) is informally called the "red dragon book" to distinguish it from the second edition and from Aho and Ullman's 1977 Principles of Compiler Design sometimes known as the "green dragon book".