Compiling a C++ Program

Simply put, a compiler does the critical task of taking your C++ source code and turning it into an executable program (one that can be run). It takes high-level instructions and generates the proper low-level machine code that the computer can understand. Every C++ source code file must be compiled in order to execute it, and you must recompile a file after making any changes.

There are two ways you can compile and run your C++ code: