Why do We Use a Compiler?

There are several reasons why compilers are used in software development:

1. Ease of programming: High-level programming languages are easier for humans to read and write than machine code, which is a series of numbers and symbols that can be difficult for humans to understand. By using a compiler to translate high-level language into machine code, programmers can write code more quickly and easily.
2. Portability: Compilers allow programmers to write code that can be easily compiled and run on a wide variety of devices and platforms. This is because the source code is independent of the underlying hardware and is only translated into machine code when it is compiled.
3. Abstraction: Compilers provide a level of abstraction between the programmer and the underlying hardware, allowing programmers to focus on the logic of their programs without having to worry about the specific details of the hardware.
4. Performance: Compilers can optimize the machine code generated from the source code, resulting in faster and more efficient programs.

Compilers are an essential tool in software development, as they allow programmers to write code that is easier to read and write, can be easily compiled and run on different devices and platforms, and can be optimized for performance.

Pre-requisites: Introduction To Compilers

A compiler is a computer program that translates source code written in a programming language into machine code that can be executed by a computer. The process of translation is called the compilation process or simply compilation.

The source code is written in a high-level programming language, such as C, C++, or Java, which is easy for humans to read and write. Machine code, on the other hand, is a low-level language that consists of a series of instructions that can be directly executed by the computer’s processor.

Compilers are an essential tool for software development because they allow programmers to write code in a high-level language that is easy to understand and debug, and then translate that code into machine code that can be efficiently executed by the computer.

There are many different compilers available for different programming languages, and they typically have a number of different phases, including lexical analysis, syntax analysis, semantic analysis, code optimization, and code generation. Each phase processes the source code in a specific way and produces intermediate or final output that is used by subsequent phases.