GNU Binutils
 | |
| Developer(s) | GNU Project |
|---|---|
| Stable release |
2.29
/ 24 July 2017 |
| Repository |
sourceware |
| Type | Programming tools |
| License | GNU GPL |
| Website |
www |
The GNU Binary Utilities, or binutils, are a set of programming tools for creating and managing binary programs, object files, libraries, profile data, and assembly source code.
Tools
They were originally written by programmers at Cygnus Solutions.
The GNU binutils are typically used in conjunction with compilers such as the GNU Compiler Collection (gcc), build tools like make, and the GNU Debugger (gdb).
Through the use of the Binary File Descriptor library (libbfd), most tools support the various object file formats supported by libbfd.
H.J. Lu maintains a version of binutils with features purely for Linux.[1]
Commands
The binutils include the following commands:
as | assembler popularly known as GAS (GNU Assembler) |
ld | linker |
gprof | profiler |
addr2line | convert address to file and line |
ar | create, modify, and extract from archives |
c++filt | demangling filter for C++ symbols |
dlltool | creation of Windows dynamic-link libraries |
gold | alternative linker |
nlmconv | object file conversion to a NetWare Loadable Module |
nm | list symbols in object files |
objcopy | copy object files, possibly making changes |
objdump | dump information about object files |
ranlib | generate indices for archives |
readelf | display content of ELF files |
size | list total and section sizes |
strings | list printable strings |
strip | remove symbols from an object file |
windmc | generates Windows message resources |
windres | compiler for Windows resource files |
elfutils
Ulrich Drepper wrote elfutils, to replace GNU Binutils, purely for Linux and with support only for ELF and DWARF.[2][3]