Program Analysis via Graph Reachability

This paper describes how a number of program-analysis problems can be solved by transforming them to graph-reachability problems. Some of the program-analysis problems that are amenable to this treatment include program slicing, certain dataflow-analysis problems, one version of the problem of approximating the possible “shapes” that heap-allocated structures in a program can take on, and flow-insensitive points-to analysis. Relationships between graph reachability and other approaches to program analysis are described. Some techniques that go beyond pure graph reachability are also discussed.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1997
• Where: SLP
• Authors: Thomas W. Reps
• Keywords: Certain Dataflow-analysis Problems, Graph Reachability, Program-analysis Problems, SLP 1997