How is the cross-compilation process carried out for different target platforms?

Cross-compilation is the process of compiling source code on one platform (host) for execution on another (target). Different target platforms typically use specialized cross-compilers that know the architecture and features of the target system.

The process includes the following steps:

1. Setting up the cross-compiler — selecting a compiler that supports the target architecture (e.g., arm-linux-gnueabi for ARM).
2. Configuring the build environment — specifying paths to libraries and header files of the target platform.
3. Compiling with the target platform specified — setting flags in the command line or build scripts indicating the target.

Example for Android NDK (cross-compiling C/C++ code for Android):

$ $NDK/toolchains/llvm/prebuilt/linux-x86_64/bin/clang --target=armv7a-linux-androideabi16 -c hello.c -o hello.o

Thus, the source code is compiled on the host, but a binary is created that will run on the target platform.