what is g++ and gcc
Explanation of g++ and gcc
g++ and gcc are both compilers used for compiling C++ and C programming languages, respectively. They are widely used in the software development industry and are part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC).
g++
g++ is the compiler used for compiling C++ programs. It is an extension of the gcc compiler and includes additional features and libraries specific to C++. The g++ compiler can compile both C and C++ code, but it is primarily used for C++.
When you compile a C++ program using g++, it goes through several steps in the build pipeline:
Preprocessing: The preprocessor scans the source code and performs tasks like including header files, macro expansion, and conditional compilation.
Compilation: The compiler translates the preprocessed source code into assembly language or an intermediate representation called object code.
Linking: The linker combines the object code with other necessary libraries and generates an executable file.
The g++ compiler provides various options and flags that allow you to control the compilation process, optimize the code, and specify additional libraries to link with.
gcc
gcc is the compiler used for compiling C programs. It is a part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and is widely used for C programming.
Similar to g++, the gcc compiler goes through the same build pipeline steps:
Preprocessing: The preprocessor scans the source code and performs tasks like including header files, macro expansion, and conditional compilation.
Compilation: The compiler translates the preprocessed source code into assembly language or an intermediate representation called object code.
Linking: The linker combines the object code with other necessary libraries and generates an executable file.
The gcc compiler provides various options and flags that allow you to control the compilation process, optimize the code, and specify additional libraries to link with.
Conclusion
In summary, g++ is the compiler used for compiling C++ programs, while gcc is used for compiling C programs. They are both part of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and follow a similar build pipeline, including preprocessing, compilation, and linking steps.