What is the function of compilers and interpreters?

to make the code easier for another coder to understand
to make the code easier to debug
to convert the code into something the computer can understand
to display the code visually

1 answer

The primary function of compilers and interpreters is to convert the code into something the computer can understand.

  • Compilers translate the entire code written in a high-level programming language into machine code (or an intermediate code) before execution, resulting in a standalone executable file.

  • Interpreters, on the other hand, translate and execute the code line by line, converting high-level instructions into machine instructions on the fly.

Both serve to bridge the gap between human-readable code and machine-readable code, allowing the computer to execute the programmer's instructions.