---
title: "Compile - Glossary | MDN"
chunk: 1/3
source: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Compile"
category: "reference"
tags: "web, html, css, javascript, documentation"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T05:28:04.440562+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

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[HTML: Markup language](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML) 

HTML reference
    
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JS reference
    
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  * [Using the Web animation API](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Animations_API/Using_the_Web_Animations_API)
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Topics
    
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Frontend developer course
    
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Learn HTML
    
  * [Structuring content with HTML module](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn_web_development/Core/Structuring_content)

Learn CSS
    
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Tools
Discover our tools 
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  * [Border-image generator](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/Guides/Backgrounds_and_borders/Border-image_generator)
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  1. [Glossary](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary)
  2. [Compile](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Compile)

# Compile
**Compiling** is the process of transforming a computer program written in a given [language](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Computer_Programming) into a set of instructions in another format or language. A **compiler** is a computer program to execute that task.
Typically, a compiler transforms code written in a higher-level language such as [C++](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C++), [Rust](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_\(programming_language\)), or [Java](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_\(programming_language\)) into executable (runnable) code — so-called **binary code** or **machine code**. [WebAssembly](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/WebAssembly), for example, is a form of executable binary code that [can be compiled from code written in C++, Rust, C#, Go, Swift, and several other languages](https://webassembly.org/getting-started/developers-guide/) and run on any web page, with most features supported in modern browsers (see [browser compatibility table](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/WebAssembly#browser_compatibility)).
Most compilers perform either ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation or [just-in-time (JIT)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Just_In_Time_Compilation) compilation.
The GNU `gcc` compiler is one well-known example of an AOT compiler. AOT compilers are typically invoked from the command line in a shell environment (from within a terminal or console) or within an [IDE](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/IDE).
JIT compilers are typically not invoked directly but are instead built into software runtimes internally, for the purpose of improving performance. For example, all major browsers now use JavaScript engines that have built-in JIT compilers.
Compilers may also translate among higher-level languages — for example, from TypeScript to [JavaScript](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/JavaScript) — in which case, they are often sometimes referred to as **transpilers**.
## In this article
  * [See also](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Compile#see_also)

##  [See also](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Compile#see_also)
  * [Compiler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compiler) on Wikipedia
  * [WebAssembly](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/WebAssembly)
  * Related glossary terms: 
    * [Just-In-Time (JIT)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/Just_In_Time_Compilation)