Editing Execution (computing) (section)

== Executable ==
{{main|Executable}}
''Executable code'', an ''executable file'', or an ''executable program'', sometimes simply referred to as an ''executable'' or 
''binary'', is a list of instructions and data to cause a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded [[instruction (computer science)|instructions]]",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/executable |title=executable |access-date=2008-07-19 |work=Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]}}</ref> as opposed to a [[Data (computing)|data file]] that must be interpreted ([[parser|parsed]]) by a program to be meaningful. 

The exact interpretation depends upon the use. "Instructions" is traditionally taken to mean [[machine code]] instructions for a physical [[Central processing unit|CPU]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/machine-instructions/|title=Machine Instructions|date=2015-11-03|website=GeeksforGeeks|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-18}}</ref> In some contexts, a file containing scripting instructions (such as [[bytecode]]) may also be considered executable.