Toolchain
In computer programming, a toolchain is the set of computer programs (tools) that are used to create a product (typically another computer program or system of programs). The tools may be used in a chain, so that the output of each tool becomes the input for the next, but the term is used widely to refer to any set of linked development tools.
A simple software development toolchain consists of a text editor for entering source code, a compiler and linker to transform the source code into an executable program, and libraries to provide interfaces to the operating system. A complex product such as a video game needs tools for preparing sound effects, music, textures, 3-dimensional models, and animations, and further tools for combining these resources into the finished product.
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