Source Code Vs Object Code

Source Code:-

In computing, source code is any collection of       computer instructions (possibly with comments) written using some human-readable computer    language, usually as text. The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source code. The source code is often transformed by a compiler program into low-level machine code understood by the computer. The machine code might then be stored for execution at a later time. Alternatively, an interpreter can be used to analyze and perform the outcomes of the source code program directly on the fly.

Most computer applications are distributed in a form that includes executable files, but not their source code. If the source code were included, it would be useful to a user, programmer, or system administrator, who may wish to modify the program or understand how it works.


Aside from its machine-readable forms, source code also appears in books and other media; often in the form of small code snippets, but occasionally complete code bases; a well-known case is the source code of PGP.

Object Code:-

Object code, or sometimes an object module, is what a computer compiler produces. In a general sense object code is a sequence of statements or instructions in a computer language, usually a machine code language (i.e., 1's and 0's)[citation needed] or an intermediate language such as RTL.

Object files can in turn be linked to form an executable file or library file. In order to be used, object code must either be placed in an executable file, a library file, or an object file.

Object code is a portion of machine code that hasn't yet been linked into a complete program. It's the machine code for one particular library or module that will make up the completed product. It may also contain placeholders or offsets not found in the machine code of a completed program that the linker will use to connect everything together. Machine code is binary (1's and 0's)[citation needed] code that can be executed directly by the cpu. If you were to open a "machine code" file in a text editor you would see garbage, including unprintable characters. Object code is a variant of machine code, with a difference that the jumps are sort of parameterized such that a linker can fill them in. An assembler is used to convert assembly code into machine code (object code). A linker links several object (and library) files to generate an executable.

Source:-Wikipedia