How does the process of code interpretation differ from its compilation?

Interpretation and compilation are two methods of executing program code.

Compilation is the process of transforming the entire source code into machine code (or intermediate code) before running the program. The result of compilation is an executable file that can be run directly. Example: compiling C++ into a binary.

Interpretation is the line-by-line or block-by-block execution of source code by an interpreter without creating an executable file beforehand. The interpreter reads, analyzes, and executes the code immediately.

Main differences:

• Compilation occurs beforehand, interpretation happens during execution.
• Compiled code usually runs faster because it is already converted into machine code.
• Interpreted code is easier to debug and modify on the fly.

In Python, for example, the source code is first compiled into bytecode (.pyc), and then the interpreter executes this bytecode.