cfile

Cfile is a term that can refer to several concepts related to the C programming language and file handling in computing. The most common usage is as a shorthand for a C source file, which contains C code and is saved with the .c extension.

A C source file is a primary unit of translation; the compiler reads one or more .c files to produce object modules, which are linked to form executables or libraries. Typical content includes preprocessor directives such as #include, macro definitions, type declarations, function definitions, and the code that implements program logic. Source files are often accompanied by header files (.h) that declare interfaces used by multiple source files, helping to separate interfaces from implementations and to manage dependencies.

During build, a typical workflow is to compile each .c file into an object file (.o on Unix-like systems, .obj on Windows) and then link these objects to create the final program or library. Developers manage dependencies with build systems such as Make, CMake, or Ninja. Debugging and optimization settings are controlled by compiler options and by symbols or optimization levels included in the object files.

Outside the standard C source context, some projects or proprietary formats use the term cfile to describe a custom file type or a data container, sometimes with a specific extension like .cfile. Because this usage is not standardized, the meaning is defined by the software that uses it. In other contexts, a class or module named CFile or cfile may exist to provide file access interfaces, but this usage is unrelated to C source files.