Compiler? Interpreter? I used to get confused between the two when I was just starting to learn programming. So, I wanted to share the difference between them, in case you're also curious!

Let's begin with source code. Source code is the high-level language we usually program in, like C, C++, Python, and others. Since computers don't understand high-level languages, we need something to translate them into machine language. That's where the compiler and interpreter come in—but what are their key differences?

Compiler

• Translates the entire source code into machine code (low-level code) at once, before executing it.
• Takes the entire program as input.
• Faster execution after compilation.
• Requires more memory space during the compilation process.
• Displays all errors at once after compiling the whole program.

Interpreter

• Translates and executes source code line by line, instruction by instruction.
• Takes one instruction at a time as input.
• Slower execution, since translation happens during runtime.
• Requires less memory space compared to a compiler.
• Displays errors immediately after each instruction is interpreted.

In Summary:

A compiler and an interpreter both have the same job: translating source code (high-level) into machine code (low-level). The main difference is how they do it—either all at once or line by line. There are many different compilers and interpreters out there for various programming languages!