low-level programming

noun

UK /ˌləʊ ˈlevəl ˈprəʊɡræmɪŋ/

US /ˌloʊ ˈlevəl ˈproʊɡræmɪŋ/

Low-level programming is writing computer instructions that talk almost directly to the machine.

Writing a driver for a new keyboard often requires low-level programming.

SYNONYMS

systems programming bare-metal programming machine-level coding assembly programming

RELATED WORDS

assembly language machine code registers memory addresses compiler

OTHER MEANINGS

2. Programming that uses instructions very close to what the computer's processor understands.

The course starts with low-level programming before moving on to high-level languages.

3. Work on software that manages hardware and system resources.

Low-level programming is needed to make the operating system start up.

4. Coding done with little abstraction from the hardware.

Debugging low-level programming errors can be tricky because you deal with raw memory.