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Guy Harris (talk | contribs) Multiple compilers for the *same* language, presumably; multiple compilers for multiple languages is usually the case. |
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An ABI is at a relatively low-level of [[abstraction (computer science)|abstraction]]. Interface compatibility depends on the target [[computer hardware|hardware]] and the [[software build]] [[toolchain]]. In contrast, an [[application programming interface]] (API) defines access in [[source code]] which is a relatively high-level, hardware-independent, and [[human-readable]] format. An API defines interface at the source code level, before compilation, whereas an ABI defines an interface to compiled code.
API compatibility is generally the concern for [[system design]] and of the toolchain. However, a [[programmer]] may have to deal with an ABI directly when writing a program in multiple [[programming language|languages]] or when using multiple [[compiler]]s for the same language.
A complete ABI enables a program that supports an ABI to run without modification on multiple operating systems that provide the ABI. The target system must provide any required libraries (that implement the ABI), and there may be other prerequisites.
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