Can you explain what the process of transforming source code into an executable file is?

Converting source code into an executable file is a process of compilation and building that involves several stages:

1. Lexical and syntactic analysis — the source code is parsed into tokens and checked for syntax errors.
2. Intermediate representation — the code is transformed into a lower-level representation.
3. Optimization — improving the code to enhance performance.
4. Machine code generation — creating executable instructions for a specific platform.
5. Assembly and linking — combining all parts of the program and libraries into a single executable file.

In Flutter, for example, Dart code is compiled into native code (for iOS and Android) or into JavaScript (for the web), enabling the application to run on the target platform.