Linker (computing) - Wikipedia
Linker (computing)
A linker or link editor is a computer program that combines intermediate software build files such as object and library files into a single executable file such as a program or library. A linker is often part of a toolchain that includes a compiler and/or assembler that generates intermediate files that the linker processes. The linker may be integrated with other toolchain tools such that the user does not interact with the linker directly.
A simpler version that writes its output directly to memory is called the loader, though loading is typically considered a separate process.12
Printed 2026-10-25.
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Footnotes
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IBM OS Linkage Editor and Loader (PDF). IBM Corporation. 1972. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-07. ↩
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Barron, David William (1978) [1971, 1969]. “5.7. Linkage editors and consolidators”. Written at University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. In Floretin, J. John (ed.). Assemblers and Loaders. Computer Monographs (3 ed.). New York, US: Elsevier North-Holland Inc. pp. 65–66. ISBN 0-444-19462-2. LCCN 78-19961. ↩