Discover the difference between compiler and interpreter , their types, working, real-world applications, and best practices in programming. There is a Difference Between Compiler and Interpreter . We use compilers and interpreters to make computers understand this code. A compiler translates the whole code into machine language in one go. An interpreter translates the code line by line. The basic difference is that a compiler system, including a (built in or separate) linker, generates a stand alone machine code program, while an interpreter system instead performs the actions described by the high level program. 2) Once a program is compiled, its source code is not useful for running the code. A compiler is a translator which transforms source language (high-level language) into object language (machine language). In contrast with a compiler , an interpreter is a program which imitates the execution of programs written in a source language. Another difference between Compiler and interpreter is that Compiler converts the whole program in one go on the other hand Interpreter converts the program by taking a single line at a time.