What is the difference between compiler and interpreter

This translation process is either conducted by either a compiler or an interpreter. Also known as source code. Machine languages are very close to the hardware. Every computer has its machine language. A machine language programs are made up of series of binary pattern. Machine language programs are executable so that they can be run directly. To make code portable, the source code is first converted to Object Code.

It is an intermediary code similar to machine code that no processor will understand. At run time, the object code is converted to the machine code of the underlying platform. To exploit relative advantages of compilers are interpreters some programming languages like Java are both compiled and interpreted. The Java code itself is compiled into Object Code. At run time, the JVM interprets the Object code into the machine code of the target computer.

Skip to content. Compiled code runs faster while interpreted code runs slower. Compiler displays all errors after compilation, on the other hand, the Interpreter displays errors of each line one by one.

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Take the first step today. You May Also Like. Read More 13 minute read. The main work of the compiler is to translate the program into machine code and let the programmer know if there are any errors, ranges, limits, etc. It analyses the entire program and converts it into machine code. The working of a compiler can be categorized into the following phases:. An interpreter is a computer program that converts program statements into machine code.

Program statements include source code, pre-compiled code, and scripts. An interpreter works more or less similar to a compiler. The only difference between their working is that the interpreter does not generate any intermediate code forms, reads the program line to line checking for errors, and runs the program simultaneously.

While it looks like Compiler and Interpreter work the same by translating programs into machine code, there is a very thin line that differentiates both of them. The differences are as follows:. To sum up, the compilers and the interpreters are like an oven and induction stove. Its functioning is almost the same; To convert a programming language into a machine language. But, the working differs.