https://DevOpsCloud.io -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE/MCT, GitOps DevOps Engineer

Return to Programming glossary

TLDR: Program execution is the process by which a computer carries out the instructions of a program, converting source code or machine code into actionable tasks. During execution, the CPU fetches, decodes, and executes instructions sequentially or conditionally based on the program's logic. This process allows a program to interact with data, peripherals, and other system resources to perform its intended function. Execution can occur directly on hardware or within a runtime environment like the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_(computing)

Program execution typically begins with the loading of an executable file into memory. For compiled languages like C++, this involves running the program's binary. For interpreted languages like Python, the interpreter executes source code line by line. During execution, the system's instruction set architecture (e.g., x86, ARM) dictates how each computational operation is carried out. Tools like debuggers and profilers allow developers to monitor and optimize program execution, ensuring efficiency and correctness.

https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/documentation/

Advanced forms of program execution include multithreading and parallel processing, where multiple threads or processes execute simultaneously to improve performance. Execution within virtualized or containerized environments, such as those provided by Docker or Kubernetes, adds another layer of abstraction, enabling portability and scalability. Understanding and optimizing program execution is critical for developers to ensure that applications meet their performance and functional requirements across diverse hardware and software environments.

https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/20/troubleshooting/debugging-overview.html

• Computer code - Code
• Translator (computing) - Translation
  • Compiler
    • Compile-time
  • Optimizing compiler
• Intermediate representation (IR]) * [[Execution
  • Runtime system
    • Run time (program lifecycle phase) - Runtime
  • Executable
  • Interpreter (computing) - Interpreter
  • Virtual machine

• Source code
• Object code
• Bytecode
• Machine code
• Microcode

• Just-in-time compilation - Just-in-time (JIT)
  • Tracing just-in-time compilation - Tracing just-in-time
• Ahead-of-time compilation - Ahead-of-time (AOT)
• Source-to-source compiler - Transcompilation
• Dynamic recompilation - Recompilation

• Android Runtime (ART)
• Common Language Runtime (CLR) of the Microsoft .NET and C Sharp | C
• crt0 - (also known as c0) is a set of execution startup routines Linker (computing) | linked into a C (programming language) | C program that performs any initialization work required before calling the program's main function.
• Java virtual machine (JVM)
• Chrome V8 - V8
  • Node.js
• Zend Engine - The open source scripting engine that Interpreter (computing) | interprets the PHP programming language.

• GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)
• LLVM

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