How Does C++ Source Code Become an Executable? Build Process Explained (Preprocess, Compile, Assemble, Link, Load)

TL;DR

A C++ program becomes an executable through five stages: the preprocessor cleans the code and pulls in header file content, the compiler turns it into assembly code, the assembler produces object code, the linker combines the object files with required libraries into an executable, and the loader loads it into RAM for the CPU to run. Source code lives in .cpp files while declarations live in .h or .hpp header files. Read on to see how each program in the toolchain fits together.

Transcript

Hi this is Anil from LearningLad and welcome to another C++ video. In this video we will see all the steps involved from writing a C++ program to generating an executable file and then executing that generated executable file. Now before getting started, this video is for beginners and i have a simplified a lot of things in this video. let's get st... Read More

Key Insights

• 💻 C++ is a general-purpose programming language used to write computer programs.
• 📁 Source files (.cpp) contain the implementation of features, while header files (.h or .hpp) contain their declarations.
• 🍻 The build process involves preprocessing, compiling, assembling, linking, and loading to create and execute an executable file.
• 🤩 Preprocessor, compiler, assembler, linker, and loader are the key programs involved in the build and execution process.
• 📚 Libraries, both standard and external, provide additional features that can be included in a C++ program.
• 👨‍💻 The output of an executed program may vary based on the correctness of the source code.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The C++ programming language is used to write computer programs, and the code written in C++ is called the source code.

• Source files in C++ have the extension .cpp, while header files have the extension .h or .hpp. Header files contain declarations of features, while source files contain implementations.

• The build process involves preprocessing the code, compiling it to generate assembly code, assembling it to generate object code, linking the object files to create an executable file, and finally loading and executing the program.