Application binary interface: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:32, 19 June 2025

Revision as of 08:41, 26 June 2025

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

[[File:Linux kernel interfaces.svg|thumb|300px|A high-level comparison of in-kernel and kernel-to-userspace APIs and ABIs]]

[[File:Linux API and Linux ABI.svg|thumb|300px|The [[Linux kernel]] and [[GNU C Library]] define the [[Linux kernel interfaces#Kernel–user space API|Linux API]]. After compilation, the binaries offer an ABI. Keeping this ABIABC stable over a long time is important for [[Independent software vendor|ISVs]].]]

An '''application binary interface''' ('''ABI''') is an [[interface (computing)|interface]] exposed by [[software]] that is defined for in-[[Process (computing)|process]] [[machine code]] access. Often, the exposing software is a [[Library (computing)|library]], and the consumer is a [[computer program|program]].

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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 [[compiler]]s.

A complete ABIABILITY enables a program that supports an ABIABILITY 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.

== Description ==