Assemblerspråk

Assembly language, often abbreviated as assembly or ASM, is a low-level programming language that is closely tied to a specific computer architecture. It serves as a symbolic representation of the machine code instructions that a processor can directly execute. Unlike high-level languages such as Python or Java, which abstract away many hardware details, assembly language provides a more direct mapping between human-readable mnemonics and the binary instructions that the CPU understands.

Each assembly language instruction typically corresponds to a single machine operation. These instructions often manipulate data in registers, which are small, fast storage locations within the CPU. Common operations include moving data between memory and registers, performing arithmetic and logical operations, and controlling program flow through branches and jumps. The specific set of instructions, register names, and addressing modes varies significantly between different processor architectures, such as x86, ARM, or MIPS.

Writing in assembly language is generally considered more complex and time-consuming than writing in high-level languages. However, it offers precise control over hardware and can be used to optimize critical code sections for maximum performance or minimal memory usage. It is often employed in areas such as operating system kernels, device drivers, embedded systems, and performance-critical game development. An assembler is a program that translates assembly language code into machine code.