Difference between compiler and interpreter

A Compiler and Interpreter both carry out the same purpose – convert a high level language (like C, Java) instructions into the binary form which is understandable by computer hardware. They are the software used to execute the high level programs and codes to perform various tasks. Specific compilers/interpreters are designed for different high level languages. However both compiler and interpreter have the same objective but they differ in the way they accomplish their task i.e. convert high level language into machine language. Through this article we will talk about the basic working of both and distinguish the basic difference between compiler and interpreter.

 

Compiler

A compiler is a piece of code that translates the high level language into machine language. When a user writes a code in a high level language such as Java and wants it to execute, a specific compiler which is designed for Java is used before it will be executed. The compiler scans the entire program first and then translates it into machine code which will be executed by the computer processor and the corresponding tasks will be performed.  

Shown in the figure is basic outline of the compilation process, here program written in higher level language is known as source program and the converted one is called object program.

 

Interpreter

Interpreters are not much different than compilers. They also convert the high level language into machine readable binary equivalents. Each time when an interpreter gets a high level language code to be executed, it converts the code into an intermediate code before converting it into the machine code. Each part of the code is interpreted and then execute separately in a sequence and an error is found in a part of the code it will stop the interpretation of the code without translating the next set of the codes.  

Outlining the basic working of the interpreter the above figure shows that first a source code is converted to an intermediate form and then that is executed by the interpreter.

 

The main differences between compiler and interpreter are listed below:

·         The interpreter takes one statement then translates it and executes it and then takes another statement. While the compiler translates the entire program in one go and then executes it.

·         Compiler generates the error report after the translation of the entire page while an interpreter will stop the translation after it gets the first error.

·         Compiler takes a larger amount of time in analyzing and processing the high level language code comparatively interpreter takes lesser time in the same process.

·         Besides the processing and analyzing time the overall execution time of a code is faster for compiler relative to the interpreter.

In the field of computers, the instructions given by the user are normally of high level language, whereas the computer will understand the instructions only in the binary format, the language of a computer is known as machine language. The sole purpose of the compiler and interpreter is to convert the user given high level language into machine level language so as to make the computer understand and executed the users driven instruction set. “If both the interpreter and compiler are used for sole purpose then what is the significance of each, for this reason the current report if aimed at exploring the difference between a compiler and interpreter”. A compiler will translate the high level language input given by the user into the machine language, i.e. in the binary codes, whereas an interpreter also converts the high-level language into machine level language but the interpreter will initially generate an intermediate code and then convert the high level language to machine level language.

The following context doles out brief description on the differences among the compiler and interpreter

Difference between compiler and interpreter:

Even though the compiler and interpreter are used for converting the high level language to machine language, there exist few variations between the compiler in the style and functionalities in converting the languages.

Compiler is a unique program that runs the instructions that are written in a certain programming language and convert them into the machine code that a computer can understand. The interpreter just does the same work as of the compiler, but the major variation is that, it converts the high level language into an intermediate code which is executed by the processor.  Normally a developer compose the instructions set by using any kind of programming language such as C, Java, Pascal, Python etc. The instruction written by the programmer is referred as the source code. The programmer must initiate the compiler or interpreter that is pertained to the language used for writing source code. Interpreter investigates and runs each line of source code in sequence, without considering the whole program at once. Nevertheless, programs shaped by compilers run greatly faster than the same instructions executed by an interpreter.

Basic differences between Compiler and Interpreter:

• Compiler translates the high level instruction into machine language, but the interpreter translates the high level instruction into an intermediate code.
• The compiler executes the entire program at a time, but the interpreter executes each and every line individually.
• Compiler reports the list of errors that are caused during the process of execution, but the interpreter quits translating soon after finding an error, the progression of the other lines of the program will be done after refining the error.
• Autonomous executable file is generated by the compiler while interpreter is compulsory for an interpreter program.

Differences on the basis of Various characteristics:

• In a compiler the analyzing and processing time of the program is more, while an interpreter spends less time for the program analyzing and processing.
• The resulting code of the compiler is in the form of machine code or binary format, in case of interpreter the resulting code is in the form of the intermediate code.
• In case of compiler, the resulting code is executed by the computer hardware, in an interpreter; another program interprets the resulting code.
• The execution of the program is fast in the compiler; in an interpreter the program execution speed is comparatively slow.

Differences on the basis of programming:

• The compiler will verify syntax of program, whereas the interpreter verifies the keywords of a program.
• The compiler will verify the entire program at a time, but the interpreter verifies the program concurrently in the editor.
• The execution of the program in the interpreter is done line by line but the compiler executes the program on the whole.