FFI （语言交互接口(Foreign Function Interface)）

FFI(Foreign Function Interface)是用来与其它语言交互的接口，

在有些语言里面称为语言绑定(language bindings)，

Java 里面一般称为 JNI(Java Native Interface) 或 JNA(Java Native Access)。

由于现实中很多程序是由不同编程语言写的，必然会涉及到跨语言调用，比如 A 语言写的函数如果想在 B 语言里面调用，这时一般有两种解决方案：一种是将函数做成一个服务，通过进程间通信(IPC)或网络协议通信(RPC, RESTful等)；另一种就是直接通过 FFI 调用。前者需要至少两个独立的进程才能实现，而后者直接将其它语言的接口内嵌到本语言中，所以调用效率比前者高。

http://www.voidcn.com/article/p-uyomozse-bnw.html

Compilers for high level languages generate code that follow certain conventions. These conventions are necessary, in part, for separate compilation to work. One such convention is the "calling convention". The "calling convention" is essentially a set of assumptions made by the compiler about where function arguments will be found on entry to a function. A "calling convention" also specifies where the return value for a function is found.

Some programs may not know at the time of compilation what arguments are to be passed to a function. For instance, an interpreter may be told at run-time about the number and types of arguments used to call a given function. Libffi can be used in such programs to provide a bridge from the interpreter program to compiled code.

The libffi library provides a portable, high level programming interface to various calling conventions. This allows a programmer to call any function specified by a call interface description at run time.

FFI stands for Foreign Function Interface. A foreign function interface is the popular name for the interface that allows code written in one language to call code written in another language. The libffi library really only provides the lowest, machine dependent layer of a fully featured foreign function interface. A layer must exist above libffi that handles type conversions for values passed between the two languages.

https://github.com/libffi/libffi