imported>Shardul.chiplunkar: Undid revision 1044834982 by 2001:F40:905:48C4:C8AA:9600:204B:9C39 (grammar)

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Undid revision 1044834982 by 2001:F40:905:48C4:C8AA:9600:204B:9C39 (grammar)

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{{Short description|Software library that allows using another library coded in another programming language}}

In [[Computer programming|programming]] and [[software design]], a '''binding''' is an [[application programming interface]] (API) that provides [[glue code]] specifically made to allow a [[programming language]] to use a foreign [[Library (computer science)|library]] or [[operating system]] service (one that is not native to that language).

==Characteristics==
Binding generally refers to a mapping of one thing to another. In the context of [[Library (computing)|software libraries]], bindings are [[wrapper library|wrapper libraries]] that bridge two [[programming language]]s, so that a [[Library (computing)|library]] written for one language can be used in another language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cairographics.org/manual/language-bindings.html |title=Appendix A. Creating a language binding for cairo |publisher=Cairographics.org |access-date=2014-04-02}}</ref> Many software libraries are written in [[system programming language]]s such as [[C (programming language)|C]] or [[C++]]. To use such libraries from another language, usually of [[High-level programming language|higher-level]], such as [[Java (programming language)|Java]], [[Common Lisp]], [[Scheme (programming language)|Scheme]], [[Python (programming language)|Python]], or [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]], a binding to the library must be created in that language, possibly requiring [[Compiler|recompiling]] the language's code, depending on the amount of modification needed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acm.org/tsc/apis.html |title=Standards, APIs, Interfaces and Bindings |publisher=Acm.org |access-date=2014-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116081559/http://www.acm.org/tsc/apis.html |archive-date=2015-01-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> However, most languages offer a [[foreign function interface]], such as Python's and [[OCaml]]'s <code>ctypes</code>, and [[Embeddable Common Lisp]]'s <code>cffi</code> and <code>uffi</code>.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.python.org/3/library/ctypes.html |title=ctypes – A foreign function library for Python |work=Python v3.8.3 documentation |publisher=Docs.python.org |access-date=2020-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url= https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/foreign-function-interface.html
|title= Real Worl OCaml, Chapter 19. Foreign Function Interface
|year= 2013 |access-date= 2015-07-19
|last= Hickey |first= Jason |last2= Madhavapeddy |first2= Anil |last3= Minsky |first3= Yaron
|website= realworldocaml.org
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://common-lisp.net/project/cffi/manual/html_node/Introduction.html#Introduction |title=Introduction – CFFI User Manual |publisher=Common-lisp.net |access-date=2014-04-02}}</ref>

For example, [[Python (programming language)|Python]] bindings are used when an extant C library, written for some purpose, is to be used from Python. Another example is <code>libsvn</code> which is written in C to provide an API to access the [[Apache Subversion|Subversion]] [[software repository]]. To access Subversion from within Java code, <code>libsvnjavahl</code> can be used, which depends on <code>libsvn</code> being installed and acts as a bridge between the language Java and <code>libsvn</code>, thus providing an API that invokes functions from <code>libsvn</code> to do the work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://subclipse.tigris.org/wiki/JavaHL |title=Subversion JavaHL FAQ |publisher=Subclipse.tigris.org |date=2013-06-18 |access-date=2014-04-02}}</ref>

Major motives to create library bindings include [[software reuse]], to reduce reimplementing a library in several languages, and the difficulty of implementing some [[algorithm]]s efficiently in some high-level languages.

==Runtime environment==
{{expand section|date=November 2016}}

===Object models===
{{Further|Object model}}
* [[Common Object Request Broker Architecture]] (CORBA) – [[cross-platform]]-language model
* [[Component Object Model]] (COM) – [[Microsoft Windows]] only cross-language model
** [[Distributed Component Object Model]] (DCOM) – extension enabling COM to work over networks
** Cross Platform Component Object Model ([[XPCOM]]) – Mozilla applications [[cross-platform]] model
* [[Common Language Infrastructure]] – [[.NET Framework]] [[cross-platform]]-language model
* [[Freedesktop.org]] [[D-Bus]] – open [[cross-platform]]-language model

{{expand section|date=November 2016}}

===Virtual machines===
{{Further|Virtual machine}}
* [[Comparison of application virtual machines]]

{{expand section|date=November 2016}}

==Porting==
{{Further|Porting}}
* [[Portable object (computing)|Portable object]] – [[cross-platform]]-language object model definition

{{expand section|date=November 2016}}

==See also==
{{prose|date=November 2016}}
{{Portal|Computer programming}}

{{Div col|colwidth=50em}}
* [[Application programming interface]] (API)
* [[Application binary interface]] (ABI)
* [[Calling convention]]
* [[Embedded SQL]]
* [[Name mangling]]
* Simplified Wrapper and Interface Generator ([[SWIG]]) – interface binding generator from many languages to many languages, open-source
* [[Wrapper function]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG11/ JTC1/SC22/WG11 - Binding Techniques], an ISO standard for language bindings
*[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25865/what-is-a-language-binding What is a language binding?]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Compilers]]
[[Category:Computer libraries]]

{{compu-lang-stub}}

Language binding - Revision history

imported>Shardul.chiplunkar: Undid revision 1044834982 by 2001:F40:905:48C4:C8AA:9600:204B:9C39 (grammar)