Definition

Noun The machine-language output of a compiler that is ready for execution on a particular computer. It is the low-level code, typically consisting of binary or hexadecimal instructions, that a computer's processor can directly understand and execute.

Usage

"Object code" is used to describe the final, executable output of the compilation process. It is the result of translating high-level source code into instructions specific to a target computer's architecture. - The compiler generates the object code from the source files. - Before the program can run, the linker combines multiple object code files into a single executable. - The object code is not meant to be read or modified by humans.

Examples

• The software engineer examined the object code to optimize the program's performance.
• After compilation, you will find the object code file with a or extension.
• Debugging at the object code level is extremely difficult without specialized tools.

Advanced Usage

• Relocatable object code: This is object code that contains references to addresses which are not yet fixed. A linker resolves these references to create an absolute, executable program.
• Executable object code: This is the final, linked output that can be loaded directly into memory and run by the operating system.

Variants and Related Words

• Object file (n): A file containing object code, often the direct output of a compiler.
• Machine code (n): A more general term for the binary instructions executed by a CPU. All executable object code is machine code, but not all machine code is necessarily stored in an object file format (e.g., it could be in memory).

Synonyms

• Machine code
• Executable code
• Binary code

Related Phrases/Concepts

• Source code: The original, human-readable programming instructions that are compiled into object code.
• Compiler: The software tool that translates source code into object code.
• Linker: The software tool that combines one or more object files into a single executable program.

Noun

1. the machine-language output of a compiler that is ready for execution on a particular computer