what is gcc

GCC stands for GNU Compiler Collection, which is a set of compilers and development tools produced by the GNU Project supporting various programming languages, hardware architectures, and operating systems. GCC is distributed as free software under the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) . It is a key component of the GNU toolchain and the standard compiler for most projects related to GNU and Linux, including the Linux kernel. GCC has been ported to more platforms and instruction set architectures than any other compiler and is widely deployed as a tool in the development of both free and proprietary software. GCC includes front ends for C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Ada, Go, and D, as well as libraries for these languages. GCC is also available for many embedded systems, including ARM-based and Power ISA-based chips.