Compiler

A compiler is used in order to convert the source code of a compiled language into machine code or bytecode.

A compiler generally converts the source code into intermediate representation, and (possibly) finally into machine code.

Compiled languages

A compiled language is a type of programming language where, instead of stepping through each instruction of a program (like an interpreted language) the source code is converted into machine code by a compiler.

Advantages of compiled languages

• Generally much faster execution time
• Users do not need to install an interpreter to execute the program, as compilers usually produce an executable file

Disadvantages of compiled languages

• Compile times can be long, so rapid iteration becomes slower

Bytecode

For some programming languages, instead of directly compiling to machine code, the source code is instead converted to a format known as bytecode.

This bytecode can't be directly executed by the CPU, but can be interpreted using an interpreter, often known as a process virtual machine.