What is the process of compiling code?

The process of compiling code primarily involves transforming the high-level code written by developers into machine language or an intermediate representation before the program executes. This transformation is crucial because computers can only understand binary (machine language). The compile phase allows for optimizations, error checking, and ensures that the generated machine code runs efficiently on the target architecture.

By converting the entire program at once, the compiler can catch syntax and semantic errors during the compilation process, which allows developers to rectify issues before running the program. This step is essential for creating software that functions as intended without immediate runtime errors or bugs.

In contrast, the other options describe different processes. Simply converting code while it runs refers more to interpretation, which is not the same as compilation. Identifying bugs and errors relates to debugging, which comes after compilation when developers test and refine their code. Describing code in documentation focuses on creating readable guides for future users or developers rather than on the mechanical process of changing code into a machine-readable format.