Definition:
A compiler is a software tool that translates high-level programming code into a lower-level representation that can be executed by a computer.
Purpose:
The primary function of a compiler is to convert source code written in a high-level language (such as C, C++, Java) into machine code or assembly language, which can be understood and executed by the computer’s processor.
Compilation Process:
The compilation process consists of two main phases:
- Analysis phase
- Synthesis phase
1. Analysis Phase:
This phase involves breaking down the source code, verifying its correctness, and understanding its structure and meaning.
- Lexical analysis: Breaking the code into individual tokens (keywords, identifiers, operators, literals) and removing unnecessary elements like white spaces and comments.
- Syntax analysis: Verifying the code’s syntax by checking the arrangement of tokens according to the language’s grammar rules and building a parse tree or abstract syntax tree (AST).
- Semantic analysis: Checking the code’s meaning and context, including type checking and symbol table construction.
2. Synthesis Phase:
This phase focuses on generating the target code from the analyzed source code.
- Intermediate code generation: Creating an intermediate representation of the source code, often platform-independent and more optimized.
- Optimization: Applying various techniques to improve the efficiency and performance of the intermediate code.
- Code generation: Generating the final target code, either machine code specific to the target hardware or assembly language resembling the machine code.
Output:
Once the compilation process is complete, the compiler produces an executable or binary file that can be directly executed by the computer.
Benefits:
Compilers enable programmers to write code in higher-level languages, abstracting the complexities of the underlying hardware. They also allow for efficient and portable software development.