Linker

A linker combines object files and libraries, resolves references between symbols, and produces an executable or shared library.

Object file: A file containing compiled code and data, plus metadata such as symbols and relocation entries. Linkers take object files as their principal inputs.
Compiler: A program that translates source code into another representation, commonly machine code. Compilers usually create the object files that a linker combines.
Loader (computing): An operating-system component that prepares a program for execution by placing it in memory and starting it. A loader starts a linked program; it does not perform the linker's full build-time combination.
Executable: A file containing instructions and related data arranged for execution by a computer. Producing an executable is a common final task for a linker.
Linking loader: A system program that combines relocatable modules as it loads them into memory. Early systems often joined linking and loading in one tool.
Symbol table: A data structure that records named entities and their properties for use by a program or tool. Linkers use symbol tables to find definitions and resolve references.
Assembly language: A human-readable notation for processor instructions, closely corresponding to machine code. Object files ultimately contain processor instructions produced from source or assembly.
Interpreter (computing): A program that executes instructions or source code directly rather than producing a standalone native executable first. Interpreted execution can avoid the conventional object-file linking step.
Shared library: A library of compiled code that multiple programs can use without embedding a separate copy in each executable. Linkers can produce shared libraries as well as executables.
Relocatable code: Machine code that can be placed at different memory addresses after suitable address adjustments. Relocatable code made it practical to combine separately prepared modules.

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