What steps are involved in the compilation and build process of a project?

The process of compiling and building a project in C/C++ typically involves the following steps:

1. Preprocessing — processing preprocessor directives (#include, #define, etc.), generating the final source code.
2. Compilation — transforming source code into assembly code.
3. Assembling — translating assembly code into an object file (.o or .obj).
4. Linking — combining object files and libraries into an executable or library.

For example, when building a project with multiple source files, the compiler first creates object files for each, then the linker combines them, resolves external references, and creates the final binary.