[PodgieTar]

I made a little toy compiler for a university project many years back, and I agree with the article - it's quite a nice way to get hands on with syntax and helps you think a bit more deeply about what is actually happening.

https://github.com/Podginator/Rattle/tree/master

It used JavaCC, which I found to be a pretty simple way to get up and running.

I also worked a job that used yacc to create their own DSL for a piece of software. Same thing, really. Easy enough to get up and running, and messing around with.