What are the differences and similarities between x86 and ARM calling conventions?

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If you are interested in assembly language, you may have encountered different calling conventions for different processor architectures. Calling conventions are the rules that define how functions pass arguments and return values, and how they use registers and stack frames. In this article, we will compare and contrast the calling conventions for two popular architectures: x86 and ARM.

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Cmdr (Dr.?) Reji Kurien Thomas , FRSA, MLE?

I Empower Sectors as a Global Tech & Business Transformation Leader| Stephen Hawking Award| Harvard Leader | UK House…

1 x86 calling conventions

The x86 family of instruction set architectures, which originated from Intel, is widely used in desktops, laptops, and servers. Depending on the compiler, platform, and application, x86 has various calling conventions such as cdecl, stdcall, fastcall, and thiscall. Generally, arguments are pushed onto the stack from right to left and the caller is responsible for cleaning up the stack after the function returns. The return value is typically stored in either eax or edx:eax for 64-bit values. The callee must preserve the values of ebp, ebx, esi and edi registers while the caller can use eax, ecx and edx registers freely. Additionally, ebp register is usually used as a base pointer to access the stack frame of the current function.

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Gil Orcilla

Computer Scientist - Emergent Technology at AF CyberWorx
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Visual Studio programming environment used protocols such as stdcall which is similar to cdecl. The biggest difference (cdecl) being that the procedure rather than the caller must remove parameters from the stack.

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Daniel Anyemedu

Black Excellence| Amanfo) | Penetration Testing | Digital Forensics and Incidence Response| Writer| Security Researcher | Procurement| Man United?
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Similarities: Stack-Based Parameter Passing: Similar to x86, ARM frequently passes function parameters over the stack. Return Value in Registers/Stack: Generally, a function's return value is kept in memory or in one of the registers (R0, R1, etc.). Cleaner: In ARM calling conventions, the caller function often clears the stack after the call, much like in x86. Differences: Register Usage: More general-purpose registers (such as R0-R12) are often found in ARM architecture, giving greater flexibility for local variable storage and parameter passing. Order of Parameter Passed: Registers may pass arguments in a different order than x86 norms. Registers R0-R3 are typically used by ARM for the first four parameters.

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Sobia Azmat

Experienced Project Manager with PMP certification | Cybersecurity Analyst, Expert in Threat Analysis, Incident Response, and Technical Risk Assessment |Leveraging Technical Proficiency to Drive Secure Project Management
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finding widespread application in desktops, laptops, and servers. Across various compilers, platforms, and applications, x86 architecture adheres to distinct calling conventions, including cdecl, stdcall, fastcall, and thiscall.Let's delve into the key characteristics and conventions of the x86 architecture:Argument Passing, Stack Cleanup, Return Values, Register Preservation, Base Pointer (ebp).

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2 ARM calling conventions

ARM is a family of instruction set architectures that is commonly found in mobile devices, embedded systems, and IoT devices. Depending on the ABI, platform, and application, ARM has several variants of calling conventions such as AAPCS, AAPCS-VFP, and APCS. Generally speaking, arguments are usually passed in registers r0-r3 and the remaining arguments are pushed onto the stack. The caller has to align the stack pointer before and after the function call. The return value is usually stored in the r0 register or in r0:r1 for 64-bit values. The callee must preserve the values of the r4-r11 registers while the caller can use r0-r3 freely. Additionally, lr register is used to store the return address, sp register as a stack pointer, and fp register as an optional frame pointer.

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3 Similarities between x86 and ARM calling conventions

Despite the differences in register usage and stack management, x86 and ARM calling conventions have some similarities. Both use a fixed order of argument passing, either in registers or on the stack, and do not support named or optional arguments. Additionally, both use a single return value, either in a register or a register pair, and do not support multiple or complex return types. Furthermore, they both allow the caller to pass additional information to the callee by pushing it onto the stack before the function call, such as the function name, the number of arguments, or a pointer to a structure.

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4 Differences between x86 and ARM calling conventions

In contrast to x86, ARM calling conventions have some key differences which can affect the performance and complexity of a program. ARM uses more registers than x86 which can reduce memory accesses and speed up the program. Additionally, ARM has more standardized calling conventions than x86, which can simplify interoperability and portability. Lastly, x86 uses a separate instruction to call a function whereas ARM uses a branch instruction with a link flag, meaning x86 can use any register to store the return address while ARM must use the lr register.

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5 How to choose between x86 and ARM calling conventions

When deciding which calling convention to use, several factors should be taken into consideration, including the target architecture, the compiler, the platform, the application, and the optimization goals. Generally speaking, if writing assembly code for a specific architecture, you should follow the compatible ABI. If your code needs to interact with other languages or libraries, then you should use the compatible calling convention. For performance or memory optimization, use the most efficient calling convention for your code and architecture.

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John Dallman

Principal Software Engineer at Siemens Digital Industries Software
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There isn't really any choice: use an appropriate x86 calling convention on x86, and an appropriate ARM calling convention on ARM. Trying to use a different architecture's calling convention will just create unnecessary work for yourself, as well as making your code incompatible with every other piece of software on the platform.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Cmdr (Dr.?) Reji Kurien Thomas , FRSA, MLE?

I Empower Sectors as a Global Tech & Business Transformation Leader| Stephen Hawking Award| Harvard Leader | UK House of Lord's Awardee | Fellow Royal Society | CyberSec I 200x LinkedIn Top Voice | CCISO CISM
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In x86 conventions, the prologue typically involves saving the base pointer (EBP/RBP), setting up a new stack frame & saving callee-saved registers. In ARM, the prologue primarily involves saving callee-saved registers and allocating space for local variables. When developing Windows DLLs in x86, I always used push to save the base pointer at the start of each function. IBoth x86 and ARM calling conventions can use tail call optimisation, allowing a function's final call to another function without an extra return. In x86, this requires careful register management & correct stack pointer adjustments. In ARM, I achieved tail call optimisation by reusing the same stack frame without changing the stack pointer, enabling faster recursive calls.

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What are the differences and similarities between x86 and ARM calling conventions?

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1 x86 calling conventions

2 ARM calling conventions

3 Similarities between x86 and ARM calling conventions

4 Differences between x86 and ARM calling conventions

5 How to choose between x86 and ARM calling conventions

6 Here’s what else to consider

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