Executable

This article is about a general type of computer file. For the specific file type used in some operating systems, see .exe.

Program execution
General concepts
Types of code
Compilation strategies
Notable runtimes
Notable compilers & toolchains
A hex dump of an executable real mode loader. The first column consists of addresses of the first byte in the second column, which comprises bytes of data in hexadecimal notation (least significant byte first), and the last column consists of the corresponding ASCII form.[1]

In computer science, executable code, an executable file, or an executable program, sometimes simply referred to as an executable or binary, causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instructions",[2] as opposed to a data file that must be interpreted (parsed) by an interpreter to be functional.[3]

The exact interpretation depends upon the use. "Instructions" is traditionally taken to mean machine code instructions for a physical CPU.[4] In some contexts, a file containing scripting instructions (such as bytecode) may also be considered executable.

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