Bootstrapping is a process in which a compiler is written for a programming language using the language itself. In other words, it is the process of using a compiler written in a particular programming language to compile a new version of the compiler written in the same language). The process of bootstrapping typically involves several stages. In the first stage, a minimal version of the compiler is written in a different language, such as assembly language or C. This minimal version of the compiler is then used to compile a slightly more complex version of the compiler written in the target language. This process is repeated until a fully functional version of the compiler is written in the target language).

Bootstrapping ensures that the compiler is compatible with the language it is designed to compile, as it is written in the same language. There are several advantages to bootstrapping. For example, it allows for greater control over the optimization and code generation process, while ensuring compatibility between the compiler and the target language. However, it can also be more difficult to debug a bootstrapped compiler, since any errors or bugs in the compiler will affect the subsequent versions of the compiler.

Bootstrapping is a fairly common practice when creating a programming language. Many compilers for many programming languages are bootstrapped, including compilers for BASIC, ALGOL, C, C#, D, Pascal, PL/I, Haskell, Modula-2, Oberon, OCaml, Common Lisp, Scheme, Go, Java, Elixir, Rust, Python, Scala, Nim, Eiffel, TypeScript, Vala, Zig, and more).