What is the difference between a compiler and an interpretor?

Answer 1

A compiler will read your entire source code and convert it into a language specific to the environment it's intended to run on. The plan is to have the compiler analyze the code and build an efficient application.

Examples of languages that are compiled: C, C++, Java

An interpreter will read your source code, usually line by line, and execute each command one at a time. This is slower and less efficient, but very good for teaching programming.

Examples of languages that are interpreted: Basic, Turing, Logo
A compiler translates a high-level language to a low level language all at once. An interpreter only translates one high-level statement at a time.

Answer 2

• A complier converts the high level instruction into machine language while an interpreter converts the high level instruction into an intermediate form.

• Before execution, entire program is executed by the compiler whereas after translating the first line, an interpreter then executes it and so on.

• List of errors is created by the compiler after the compilation process while an interpreter stops translating after the first error.

• An independent executable file is created by the compiler whereas interpreter is required by an interpreted program each time.