Object code

Object code, or object programs, are a type of low-level programming language code that is generated by a compiler or assembler and produced out of a source program. Object code is a set of instructions that can be directly executed by the processor without any further translation, or it can be the intermediate form of the computer instructions, which needs to be further processed before execution by the processor. Object code is basically an output of the compilation process of a program that can be read and understood by the computer.

Object code is more accessible than source code, a high-level programming language used by developers to create programs. A compiler or assembler is used to generate object code, which is found in an object file, from the source code written by a programmer. This file, usually with an .obj or .o file extension, often consists solely of the machine language used by the processor. The processor can then understand the instructions and process them.

This means that object-code programs can be run on any platform that the compiler is supported and designed for, without having to make any changes to the source code, which allows programs to easily be written once and used on multiple different systems. It is also more efficient and faster than source code, as the compilation process reduces code size, making it smaller and more direct. Furthermore, object-code programs are more secure than source code since they are already translated and are much harder to read and decode.

Object code is an important part of programming and cybersecurity, as it is a crucial part of the compilation process that is used to convert source code into an executable program. As object code is more efficient and faster than source code, it is often used to speed up the execution of a program by reducing the code size. The object code also provides an extra layer of security, as it is harder to read and decode.