compiler
Sign in to saveIn computing, a compiler is software that translates computer code written in one programming language (the source language) into another language (the target language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a low-level programming language (e.g. assembly language, object code, or machine code) to create an executable program.
AI overview
A compiler is software that translates computer code written in one programming language into another language, most commonly converting human-readable code into machine code that computers can execute. This translation process matters because it allows programmers to write instructions in languages designed for human understanding, while enabling those instructions to actually run on computer hardware.
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- Comparison with interpreter
- History
- Compiler construction
- One-pass vs multi-pass compilers{{anchor|Single-pass}}
- Three-stage compiler structure
- Front end
- Middle end
- Back end
- Compiler correctness
- Compiled vis-à-vis interpreted languages
- Types
- See also
- Notes and references
- Further reading
- External links
In computing, a compiler is software that translates computer code written in one programming language (the source language) into another language (the target language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a low-level programming language (e.g. assembly language, object code, or machine code) to create an executable program.
There are many different types of compilers which produce output in different useful forms. A cross-compiler produces code for a different CPU or operating system than the one on which the cross-compiler itself runs. A bootstrap compiler is often a temporary compiler, used for compiling a more permanent or better optimized compiler for a language.