Recompiles

Recompiles refer to the process of taking updated source code and translating it again into a new executable, library, or other binary artifact. Recompilation is a routine part of software development and can refer to a full rebuild of an entire project or to incremental recompiles that only reprocess changed files. Recompiles may be triggered by edits, dependency updates, or changes to build configuration.

In practice, build systems manage recompiles by tracking dependencies and timestamps. Incremental recompiles reuse previously built artifacts where possible, rebuilding only those parts affected by changes. Full recompiles, commonly performed after large changes or configuration updates, reprocess all source files and may take longer but ensure complete consistency.

Outside traditional static recompilation, some environments employ dynamic recompilation, or dynamic translation, where code is retranslated at run time by a runtime optimizer to improve performance. Recompilation also occurs when source is generated or when code is cross-compiled for a different target architecture, platform, or compiler.

Considerations for recompiles include compiler version changes, optimization settings, and deterministic builds. Reproducible builds aim to produce the same binary from the same source under the same environment. Build failures, symbol mismatches, or subtle differences in generated code can complicate debugging and distribution.