what happens when i compile source code to exe file in .net framework

Question

What happens when I compile .NET source code (c# or vb) to .exe file? I wish to understand the process which happens during making an exe file and have viewed several questions regarding reverse engineering and decompilation (for example, How do I decompile a .NET EXE into readable C# source code? and What happens when user click .NET assembly (EXE)?)

Thanks in advance

[Managed Execution Process - MSDN](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/k5532s8a.aspx) — Habib, Dec 21 '12 at 06:50
Take a look at [How does C# compilation get around needing header files?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1917935/how-does-c-sharp-compilation-get-around-needing-header-files/1918663#1918663) — KV Prajapati, Dec 21 '12 at 06:50

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 21 '12 at 06:56

The managed execution process includes the following steps

Choosing a compiler

To obtain the benefits provided by the common language runtime, you must use one or more language compilers that target the runtime.
Compiling your code to MSIL

Compiling translates your source code into Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL) and generates the required metadata.
Compiling MSIL to native code

At execution time, a just-in-time (JIT) compiler translates the MSIL into native code. During this compilation, code must pass a verification process that examines the MSIL and metadata to find out whether the code can be determined to be type safe.
Running code

The common language runtime provides the infrastructure that enables execution to take place and services that can be used during execution.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 21 '12 at 08:31

1

answered Dec 21 '12 at 08:31

Sanfoor

2 Answers2