diff --git a/packages/core/src/render3/index.ts b/packages/core/src/render3/index.ts
index bec2d6bef0..ad772c6c53 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/render3/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/render3/index.ts
@@ -84,3 +84,4 @@ export {
   defineDirective,
 };
 export {createComponentRef, detectChanges, getHostElement, markDirty, renderComponent};
+export {InjectFlags} from './di';
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts b/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..22a0ca2e65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/test/render3/compiler_canonical_spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright Google Inc. All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
+ * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
+ */
+
+import {Component, Directive, Type, NgModule, Injectable, Optional, TemplateRef} from '../../src/core';
+import * as r3 from '../../src/render3/index';
+
+import {containerEl, renderComponent, requestAnimationFrame, toHtml} from './render_util';
+
+/**
+ * NORMATIVE => /NORMATIVE: Designates what the compiler is expected to generate.
+ *
+ * All local variable names are considered non-normative (informative).
+ */
+
+describe('compiler specification', () => {
+  describe('elements', () => {
+    it('should translate DOM structure', () => {
+      @Component({
+        selector: 'my-component',
+        template: `<div class="my-app" title="Hello">Hello <b>World</b>!</div>`
+      })
+      class MyComponent {
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngComponentDef = r3.defineComponent({
+          type: MyComponent,
+          tag: 'my-component',
+          factory: () => new MyComponent(),
+          template: function(ctx: MyComponent, cm: boolean) {
+            if (cm) {
+              r3.E(0, 'div', e0_attrs);
+              r3.T(1, 'Hello ');
+              r3.E(2, 'b');
+              r3.T(3, 'World');
+              r3.e();
+              r3.T(4, '!');
+              r3.e();
+            }
+          }
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+      // Important: keep arrays outside of function to not create new instances.
+      const e0_attrs = ['class', 'my-app', 'title', 'Hello'];
+
+      expect(renderComp(MyComponent))
+          .toEqual('<div class="my-app" title="Hello">Hello <b>World</b>!</div>');
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('components & directives', () => {
+    it('should instantiate directives', () => {
+      const log: string[] = [];
+      @Component({selector: 'child', template: 'child-view'})
+      class ChildComponent {
+        constructor() { log.push('ChildComponent'); }
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngComponentDef = r3.defineComponent({
+          type: ChildComponent,
+          tag: `child`,
+          factory: () => new ChildComponent(),
+          template: function(ctx: ChildComponent, cm: boolean) {
+            if (cm) {
+              r3.T(0, 'child-view');
+            }
+          }
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+
+      @Directive({
+        selector: 'some-directive',
+      })
+      class SomeDirective {
+        constructor() { log.push('SomeDirective'); }
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngDirectiveDef = r3.defineDirective({
+          type: ChildComponent,
+          factory: () => new SomeDirective(),
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+
+      @Component({selector: 'my-component', template: `<child some-directive></child>!`})
+      class MyComponent {
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngComponentDef = r3.defineComponent({
+          tag: 'my-component',
+          factory: () => new MyComponent(),
+          template: function(ctx: MyComponent, cm: boolean) {
+            if (cm) {
+              r3.E(0, ChildComponent, e0_attrs, e0_dirs);
+              r3.e();
+              r3.T(3, '!');
+            }
+            ChildComponent.ngComponentDef.r(1, 0);
+          }
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+      // Important: keep arrays outside of function to not create new instances.
+      // NORMATIVE
+      const e0_attrs = ['some-directive', ''];
+      const e0_dirs = [SomeDirective];
+      // /NORMATIVE
+
+      expect(renderComp(MyComponent)).toEqual('<child some-directive="">child-view</child>!');
+      expect(log).toEqual(['ChildComponent', 'SomeDirective']);
+    });
+
+    xit('should support structural directives', () => {
+      const log: string[] = [];
+      @Directive({
+        selector: 'if',
+      })
+      class IfDirective {
+        constructor(template: TemplateRef<any>) { log.push('ifDirective'); }
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngDirectiveDef = r3.defineDirective({
+          type: IfDirective,
+          factory: () => new IfDirective(r3.injectTemplateRef()),
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+
+      @Component({selector: 'my-component', template: `<ul #foo><li *if>{{salutation}} {{foo}}</li></ul>`})
+      class MyComponent {
+        salutation = 'Hello';
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngComponentDef = r3.defineComponent({
+          tag: 'my-component',
+          factory: () => new MyComponent(),
+          template: function(ctx: MyComponent, cm: boolean) {
+            if (cm) {
+              r3.E(0, 'ul', null, null, e0_locals);
+              r3.C(2, c1_dirs, C1);
+              r3.e();
+            }
+            let foo = r3.m<any>(1);
+            r3.cR(2);
+            IfDirective.ngDirectiveDef.r(3, 2);
+            r3.cr();
+
+            function C1(ctx1: any, cm: boolean) {
+              if (cm) {
+                r3.E(0, 'li');
+                r3.T(1);
+                r3.e();
+              }
+              r3.t(1, r3.b2('', ctx.salutation, ' ', foo, ''));
+            }
+          }
+        });
+        // /NORMATIVE
+      }
+      // Important: keep arrays outside of function to not create new instances.
+      // NORMATIVE
+      const e0_locals = ['foo', ''];
+      const c1_dirs = [IfDirective];
+      // /NORMATIVE
+
+      expect(renderComp(MyComponent)).toEqual('<child some-directive="">child-view</child>!');
+      expect(log).toEqual(['ChildComponent', 'SomeDirective']);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('local references', () => {
+    // TODO(misko): currently disabled until local refs are working
+    xit('should translate DOM structure', () => {
+      @Component({selector: 'my-component', template: `<input #user>Hello {{user.value}}!`})
+      class MyComponent {
+        // NORMATIVE
+        static ngComponentDef = r3.defineComponent({
+          tag: 'my-component',
+          factory: () => new MyComponent,
+          template: function(ctx: MyComponent, cm: boolean) {
+            if (cm) {
+              r3.E(0, 'input', null, null, ['user', '']);
+              r3.e();
+              r3.T(2);
+            }
+            r3.t(2, r3.b1('Hello ', r3.m<any>(1).value, '!'));
+          }
+        });
+        // NORMATIVE
+      }
+
+      expect(renderComp(MyComponent))
+          .toEqual('<div class="my-app" title="Hello">Hello <b>World</b>!</div>');
+    });
+  });
+
+});
+
+xdescribe('NgModule', () => {
+  interface Injectable {
+    scope?: /*InjectorDefType<any>*/any;
+    factory: Function;
+  }
+
+  function defineInjectable(opts: Injectable): Injectable {
+    // This class should be imported from https://github.com/angular/angular/pull/20850
+    return opts;
+  }
+  function defineInjector(opts: any): any {
+    // This class should be imported from https://github.com/angular/angular/pull/20850
+    return opts;
+  }
+  it('should convert module', () => {
+    @Injectable()
+    class Toast {
+      constructor(name: String) {}
+      // NORMATIVE
+      static ngInjectableDef = defineInjectable({
+        factory: () => new Toast(inject(String)),
+      });
+      // /NORMATIVE
+    }
+
+    class CommonModule {
+      // NORMATIVE
+      static ngInjectorDef = defineInjector({});
+      // /NORMATIVE
+    }
+
+    @NgModule({
+      providers: [Toast, {provide: String, useValue: 'Hello'}],
+      imports: [CommonModule],
+    })
+    class MyModule {
+      constructor(toast: Toast) {}
+      // NORMATIVE
+      static ngInjectorDef = defineInjector({
+        factory: () => new MyModule(inject(Toast)),
+        provider: [
+          {provide: Toast, deps: [String]}, // If Toast has matadata generate this line
+          Toast, // If toast has not metadata generate this line.
+          {provide: String, useValue: 'Hello'}
+        ],
+        imports: [CommonModule]
+      });
+      // /NORMATIVE
+    }
+
+    @Injectable(/*{MyModule}*/)
+    class BurntToast{
+      constructor(@Optional() toast: Toast|null, name: String) {}
+      // NORMATIVE
+      static ngInjectableDef = defineInjectable({
+        scope: MyModule,
+        factory: () => new BurntToast(inject(Toast, r3.InjectFlags.Optional), inject(String)),
+      });
+      // /NORMATIVE
+    }
+
+  });
+});
+
+function renderComp<T>(type: r3.ComponentType<T>): string {
+  return toHtml(renderComponent(type));
+}