How do Ahead-Of-Time and Just-In-Time compilation mechanisms differ during program execution?

Ahead-Of-Time (AOT) and Just-In-Time (JIT) are two different approaches to code compilation that affect application performance and startup time.

• AOT (ahead-of-time compilation): The application code is compiled into machine code before the program runs. This allows for faster application startup since there is no need to compile code during execution. In Flutter, AOT is used for building release versions, which provides high performance and a smaller application size.

• JIT (just-in-time compilation): The code is compiled into machine code directly during program execution. This offers flexibility, for example, for hot reload during development, allowing quick changes and seeing results without a full rebuild.

Thus, AOT is optimal for final builds with maximum performance, while JIT is convenient for development and debugging due to dynamic compilation and rapid change cycles.