What is Ahead-of-time compilation?
Ahead-of-time compilation (AOT compilation) is when a [[compiler]] turns [[source code]] into a [[Low-level programming language|lower-level programming language]] (usually [[Assembly language|assembly code]]) before it is executed, lowering the amount of work needed to be done at [[Runtime|run time]]. It's associated with compiling a [[High-level programming language|higher-level programming language]] like [[C (programming language)|C]] or an intermediate language like [[Java bytecode]] into native [[machine code]]. AOT compilation is seen as the opposite of [[just-in-time compilation]]. [[Category:Programming languages]]