What is Compiler ?

Definition of Compiler :

  1. A computer program which reads source code and outputs assembly code or executable code is called compiler.
  2. A program that translates software written in source code into instructions that a computer can understand Software used to translate the text that a programmer writes into a format the CPU can use.
  3. A piece of software that takes third-generation language code and translates it into a specific assembly code. Compilers can be quite complicated pieces of software.

Compiler Overview :

Consider process of Executing Simple C Language Code -

We have opened C Code editor and wrote simple C Program , Whenever we try to compile code and try to execute code our code is given to the compiler.

int main()
{
printf("Hello");
return(0);
}

Now our main intention is to convert program into lower level language which can be read by Machine. Compiler have different phases , and program undergoes through these 6 phases. After Passing through all the compilation Phases our code is converted into the machine level language code which can be read by machine.
Compiler Converts C Program into Binary Language

Different Phases of Compiler

  1. Lexical Analysis Phase
  2. Syntax Analysis
  3. Semantic Analysis
  4. Intermediate Code Generation
  5. Code Optimizer
  6. Code Generation