What is a Code Interpreter?
This time, I would like to delve deeper into the “code interpreter”. This word is often heard in the world of programming, but there may be surprisingly few people who understand its meaning and role exactly. In this article, we’ll go over the basic concepts of code interpreters, how they work, their advantages, and their disadvantages.
Code interpreter basics
”Let’s start with the basics.” A code interpreter (British: interpreter) is a program that interprets and executes source code and intermediate expressions written in a programming language. An interpreter can be a program that interprets and executes source code directly, or a program that first converts all of the source code into some efficient intermediate code (intermediate representation) and then interprets and executes it.
A program that interprets and executes an efficient intermediate representation generated and output by some compiler is also called an interpreter.
Characteristics of the interpreter
The interpreter takes the form of software executing software. This makes it easy to implement features like dynamic dispatch, dynamic binding, reflection, and dynamic typing. On the other hand, since the compiler only converts code so that it can be executed on the CPU in advance and does not participate in execution, in most cases, if you want to change the behavior during execution, you have to prepare a separate program for that purpose.
Difference Between Interpreter and Compiler
Although the classification of “interpreter language” and “compiler language” does not exist originally, the interpreter was the representative implementation of each language, and theoretically any language can be an interpreter. and the compiler can make it. However, because there are languages that only have an interpreter, the reality is that they are distinguished from “interpreted languages” and “compiled languages.”
Interpreter advantages and disadvantages
The advantage of the interpreter is that even while the program is being created, it can be executed up to the point where it was written for the time being. , early confirmation and discovery, and quick execution and reconfirmation after correction.
On the other hand, the drawback is the slow execution speed. Especially in loops (= repetitions), even statements that have been parsed once are parsed and executed each time (again, from the beginning), so the execution speed is slower than the compiler method.
Concrete example of interpreter
Programming languages such as Python and JavaScript are commonly known as interpreted languages. In these languages, the source code is interpreted at runtime by an interpreter and the result is directly executed. This allows developers to write code and immediately see the results, making debugging and testing easier.
However, this technique also has its drawbacks. Interpreted languages interpret and execute code line by line, which can slow overall execution. This can be a problem, especially for large programs and applications that require high performance.
Differentiating between interpreter and compiler
The interpreter and compiler each have different advantages and disadvantages. So which one to use depends on the developer’s goals and project requirements.
For example, if a developer wants to experiment with new algorithms or learn a new language, an interpreted language may be an ideal choice. Interpreted languages are good for learning and experimenting because you can write code and see the results immediately.
On the other hand, when developing large projects or applications that require high performance, a compiled language may be more suitable. A compiler language interprets the source code all at once and converts the result into an executable binary file. This improves execution speed and works efficiently even with large projects.
summary
The above is an explanation of the basic concept and characteristics of the code interpreter. Understanding these basic concepts is very important in learning programming.
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