Below is the table to show Compiled vs Interpreted languages:
| Compiled Languages | Interpreted Languages | |
|---|---|---|
| Compilation Process | The entire source code is converted into machine code before execution. | Source code is converted into an intermediate form or directly interpreted and executed line by line. |
| Speed | Generally faster because the code is fully compiled before execution. | Slower because of the overhead of interpreting code line by line. |
| Debugging | Errors and bugs are caught during the compilation stage before execution. | Errors are often not discovered until the problematic line is interpreted during execution. |
| Examples | C, C++, Go, Rust | Python, Ruby, PHP |
| Portability | Less portable as the compiled machine code is platform-dependent. | More portable as the source code or byte code can be executed on any platform with the appropriate interpreter. |
| Runtime Environment | Does not require a specific runtime environment. | Requires a runtime environment (the interpreter). |
Let’s illustrate these points with examples:
Compiled Language: C++
Consider a simple C++ program that prints “Hello, World!” to the console:
// hello.cpp
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout << "Hello, World!" << std::endl;
return 0;
}
To run this program, we need to compile it first:
g++ hello.cpp -o helloThis command uses the g++ compiler to compile the C++ code into machine code. The -o hello option specifies the output file for the compiled code. If the compilation process is successful, it produces an executable file hello. Then you can run the program with:
./helloIf there are any syntax errors in your code, the compiler will catch them and stop the compilation process, displaying error messages.
Interpreted Language: Python
Now let’s look at a Python script that does the same thing:
# hello.py
print("Hello, World!")You can run this Python script with the Python interpreter:
python hello.pyThe Python interpreter will read and execute the script line by line. If there are any errors in your script, you won’t find out until the interpreter reaches the line with the error.
As you can see, the workflow for running a program is quite different between compiled and interpreted languages. Compiled languages like C++ require a separate compilation step before you can run the program, while interpreted languages like Python can be run directly with the interpreter.
Conclusion:
Compiled languages tend to offer performance advantages but can be less flexible and more complex to work with, especially during development. Interpreted languages, on the other hand, often allow for more rapid development and easier debugging but may run more slowly since the source code must be interpreted at runtime.