Question

Does the Arduino code get processed by an interpreter or a compiler?

(a) The Arduino code is processed by an interpreter

(b) The Arduino code is first compiled to C++ and then processed using an interpreter

(c) The Arduino code is processed by a compiler

(d) The Arduino code is directly executed by the processor

The question was asked in homework.

The doubt is from Programming in portion Arduino Programming of Arduino

Answer 1

Correct option is (c) The Arduino code is processed by a compiler

The best I can explain: The Arduino code is a working subset of the C++ programming language. The C++ programming language is a compiled one, not an interpreted language. The main difference between an interpreter and a compiler is the way that each one of them handles the debugging and execution of the code. A compiler first checks if the code has any syntax errors or not and then proceeds to converting or more appropriately translating the written code into assembly, while the interpreter executes the code line by line irrespective of whether there is any syntax error in the code or not.