Writing compilers that target C requires careful consideration of performance and safety. When generating C code, developers can avoid many undefined-behavior pitfalls that plague hand-written C by leveraging the compiler's ability to optimize away abstraction costs. Static inline functions are particularly powerful, enabling data abstractions without runtime overhead when combined with appropriate attributes.

Integer conversion rules in C are notoriously tricky, with implicit promotions and signed integer boundary conditions creating potential bugs. Generated C code benefits from explicit conversion functions like `u8_to_u32` and `s16_to_s32`, along with `-Wconversion` warnings to catch unintended conversions. For complex systems like garbage collectors that work with multiple pointer representations, wrapping raw pointers in typed structs prevents confusion and ensures type safety across operations.

Manual register allocation becomes essential when targeting C for functions with many arguments or return values. By using global variables for excess parameters and return values beyond what registers can hold, compilers can ensure reliable tail calls and efficient ABI compliance. This approach also elegantly handles multiple return values by storing excess results in globals that callers reload after function calls. While generating C provides industrial-strength optimization through GCC and Clang, developers must still navigate trade-offs around manual optimization and platform-specific considerations.