computerexecutable
Computerexecutable is a term used to describe software, programs, or data that can be loaded into a computer’s memory and executed by a processor. It is typically contrasted with source code, which must be translated, and with non-executable data. An executable may be a native machine-code file, a bytecode program run by a virtual machine, or a script that is interpreted by a runtime.
Native executables contain machine instructions tailored to a specific processor architecture and are produced by compilers
Common executable formats include Windows Portable Executable (PE), Linux/Unix Executable and Linkable Format (ELF), and macOS
Security and distribution considerations accompany executables. Provenance, code signing, and trusted delivery channels help mitigate malware