Explain how compiler and interpreter programs w... - SS1 ICT Computer Software Question

Both compilers and interpreters are used to translate high-level programming code into machine code that the computer can execute. The main difference lies in how they perform this translation and execution:

 

Compiler: A compiler translates the entire source code of a program into machine code all at once. It checks for errors in the entire code before generating an executable file. This file can be executed multiple times without recompilation. Although compilation takes more time upfront, the resulting program tends to run faster since it's already translated into machine code.

 

Interpreter: An interpreter reads the source code line by line and translates and executes each line immediately. This means that errors are identified as the interpreter encounters them in the code. While execution can start faster than with a compiler, each line is translated every time it's executed, potentially leading to slower overall performance.