mingw32

mingw32 refers to the 32-bit port of MinGW, the Minimalist GNU for Windows. It provides a native Windows development toolchain based on the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), along with binutils and runtime support, enabling the creation of 32-bit Windows applications without a POSIX compatibility layer such as Cygwin. The toolchain targets Windows APIs directly and links against the Windows system libraries.

Historically, mingw32 was part of the original MinGW project and was the 32-bit variant of the toolchain. It was designed to produce true Windows executables that run without requiring a compatibility layer. As development progressed, the community split into projects that also support 64-bit targets, notably mingw-w64, which expanded to provide both 32-bit and 64-bit environments. In some documentation and distributions, mingw32 remains as a reference to the traditional 32-bit MinGW setup, while current ecosystems may use mingw-w64 as the primary source for both architectures.

Key components include the GCC compilers for C and C++, the GNU linker, the MinGW runtime libraries (such as libmingw32 and libmingwex), and headers for the Windows API. Executables produced with mingw32 link against the Windows CRT (for example, msvcrt) and Windows libraries like kernel32, user32, and gdi32, resulting in native Windows binaries that do not depend on a POSIX layer.

Usage typically involves installing the MinGW toolchain through an installer or a package manager, then compiling code from the command line or within an IDE. Common workflows include commands such as gcc -o program.exe program.c. The mingw32 environment remains one pathway for building 32-bit Windows applications alongside newer mingw-w64-based solutions.