this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
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Can someone explain to me how to compile a C library with "main" and a program with main? How does executing a program actually work? It has an executable flag, but what actually happens in the OS when it encounters a file with an executable file? How does it know to execute "main"? Is it possible to have a library that can be called and also executed like a program?
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If you want to have a library that can also be a standalone executable, just put the main function in an extra file and don't compile that file when using the library as a library.
You could also use the preprocessor to do it similar to python but please don't.
Just use any build tool, and have two targets, one library and one executable:
Edit: added example