Installation

SAF can be used in two ways: in the browser (no install needed) or locally via Docker for full analysis capabilities.

Browser (No Install)

The fastest way to try SAF is the Playground. It runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly -- no server, no Docker, no setup.

The browser version supports:

Writing C code or LLVM IR
Visualizing CFGs, call graphs, def-use chains, and value-flow graphs
Running pointer analysis
Exporting results as JSON

For the full Python SDK, checker framework, and LLVM bitcode support, use the local installation below.

Local Installation (Docker)

The local installation uses Docker to provide a complete development environment with Rust, Python 3.12, LLVM 18, and all dependencies pre-installed.

Prerequisites

Docker installed and running
Git
A terminal

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/Static-Analyzer-Factory/static-analyzer-factory.git
cd static-analyzer-factory

Step 2: Start the Development Shell

make shell

This drops you into an interactive shell inside the Docker container. The project directory is mounted at /workspace.

On first run, the container automatically:

Creates a Python virtual environment
Installs pytest and development dependencies
Builds the SAF Python SDK with maturin develop --release

Subsequent runs skip the build if saf is already importable.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Inside the Docker shell:

python3 -c "import saf; print('SAF version:', saf.version())"

You should see the SAF version printed without errors.

To run the full test suite:

# Exit Docker shell first (Ctrl+D), then:
make test

What's Included

The Docker environment provides:

Tool	Version	Purpose
Rust	stable	Core analysis engine
Python	3.12	SDK and tutorials
LLVM/Clang	18	C/C++ to LLVM IR compilation
maturin	latest	Python-Rust bridge (PyO3)

Available Make Commands

make help        # Show all available commands
make test        # Run all tests (Rust + Python) in Docker
make lint        # Run clippy + rustfmt check in Docker
make fmt         # Auto-format all Rust code in Docker
make shell       # Open interactive dev shell in Docker
make build       # Build minimal runtime Docker image
make clean       # Remove Docker volumes and local target/

Next Steps

First Analysis -- Analyze a C program end to end
Playground Tour -- Learn the browser-based playground

SAF Documentation