crosscompiled

Crosscompiled refers to software produced by cross-compilation, a process in which code is compiled on one host system but is intended to run on a different target architecture or ABI.

In a cross-compilation setup, the host provides the compiler and tools, while the target runs the produced binary. A cross-compiler is paired with a sysroot containing the headers and libraries for the target. Toolchain triplets such as arm-linux-gnueabihf describe the host–target pairing.

Common workflow involves configuring build systems to use the cross-compiler, e.g., setting CC and CXX and often using --host or --target in configure scripts, then building with make. Build environments such as crosstool-ng, Buildroot, and Yocto help create and manage cross-toolchains and target root filesystems.

Cross-compilation is widely used in embedded development where devices use architectures different from the developer's workstation. Testing may employ emulation or remote debuggers, and packaging often requires target-specific formats.

Challenges include ABI and endianness differences, availability and compatibility of libraries, and managing a coherent sysroot. Static linking can simplify deployment but increases binary size.

See also cross-compilation, toolchain, sysroot, embedded Linux, Buildroot, Yocto Project.