binary
also: executable, compiled program, ELF file, binary executable
An executable file containing compiled machine code that the CPU can directly run, as opposed to human-readable source code or scripts.
A binary is a compiled program file that your computer can execute directly. Unlike source code (which is human-readable text), binaries contain processor instructions in machine language—the low-level format CPUs understand natively.
When you compile a program written in C, C++, or Rust, the compiler translates it into a binary. For example, the ls command is a binary typically located at /usr/bin/ls. You can run it instantly without compilation because it's already in machine code.
Binaries are usually stripped of human-readable variable names and comments, making them smaller and faster than scripts. However, they're specific to an architecture (x86_64, ARM, etc.), so a binary compiled for one CPU type won't run on another without recompilation.