executable

File that can be directly run by a computer

EntityQ778586

Also known as executable file · binary · executable program · .exe

Subclass of: computer program

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

In computing, an executable is a resource that a computer can use to control its behavior. As with all information in computing, it is data, but distinct from data that does not imply a flow of control. Terms such as executable code, executable file, executable program, and executable image describe forms in which the information is represented and stored. A native executable is machine code and is directly executable at the instruction level of a CPU. A script is also executable although indirectly via an interpreter. Intermediate executable code may be interpreted or converted to native code at runtime via just-in-time compilation.

Overview

All data

20 statements · 15% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Facet of: operating system
Uses: executable file format
Members / parts: machine code nature of statement: often
source code nature of statement: rarely · applies to part: interpreted language
filename extension has characteristic: .exe
Has effect: process
Opposite of: source code
software library criterion used: component
Used by: loader

On other databases

9 identifiers linking executable across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

15%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 24, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). executable (Q778586). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/executable-Q778586