object file

In computer science, object code, or an object file, is the representation of code that a compiler or assembler generates by processing a source code file. Object files contain compact code, often called "binaries". A linker is typically used to generate an executable or library by linking object files together. The only essential element in an object file is machine code (code directly executed by a computer's CPU). Object files for embedded systems might contain nothing but machine code. However, object files often also contain data for use by the code at runtime, relocation information, program symbols (names of variables and functions) for linking and/or debugging purposes, and other debugging information.