# lex > Lexical analyzer generator. > Given the specification for a lexical analyzer, generates C code implementing it. > Note: on most major OSes, this command is an alias for `flex`. > More information: . - Generate an analyzer from a Lex file, storing it to the file `lex.yy.c`: `lex {{analyzer.l}}` - Specify the output file: `lex -t {{analyzer.l}} > {{analyzer.c}}` - Compile a C file generated by Lex: `c99 {{path/to/lex.yy.c}} -o {{executable}}`