Loaders

A loader is a term used across several industries to describe devices or software that move, load, or prepare something for use. In mechanical engineering, a loader is a type of heavy equipment used to lift and transport materials, such as soil, gravel, or snow. In computing, a loader is a software component that brings programs, libraries, or data into memory so they can execute or be processed.

Mechanical loaders include front-end loaders, wheel loaders, and skid-steer loaders. They typically consist of a hydraulic arm and a bucket or pail. Common applications are construction, agriculture, waste handling, and mining. Operation emphasizes stable balance, breakout force, and hydraulic performance, while maintenance focuses on hydraulic systems, tracks or tires, and payload management.

In software, a loader can refer to a bootloader, which runs when a system powers on and loads the operating system into memory, and to dynamic loaders or linkers, which resolve and locate shared libraries at runtime. Loaders are essential for software portability, modularity, and memory management, and they work with the operating system's loader services to map executables and libraries into the process address space.

In data processing, a data loader is a component that reads data from a source, converts it into a standard format, and writes it into a data store. These loaders support batch and streaming modes and are often part of an ETL pipeline or data integration framework.

The term loader thus denotes several distinct concepts sharing the basic function of loading content for use, whether it is earth and material in the field or software and data in computer systems.