What Is Coding and How Does It Work?

Computer code is very important. Almost every electronic device you use relies on code. The way things work can seem quite confusing, but when you break it down it's actually simple.

People who make code are called programmers, coders or developers. They all work with computers to create websites, apps, and even games! Today you'll learn what code it, what it's for, and how to start learning code yourself.

Computers have their own language called Machine Code which tells them what to do. As you can see, it doesn't make a lot of sense to humans!

Each number or letter is telling the computer to change something in its memory. This could be a number or word, or a little part of a picture or video. By themselves, computers don't know how to do anything. It is the job of the programmer to give them instructions.

It's possible to learn Machine Code, but it would take a long time! Luckily there is an easier way to communicate with computers.

What Is Coding?

Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to. In Python, every line of code tells the computer to do something, and a document full of lines of code is called a script.

Each script is designed to carry out a job. This job might be to take an image and change its size. It might play a certain sound or piece of music. When you click "like" on someone's post on social media, a script is what makes it happen.

Unlike people, computers will do exactly what you tell them to. This might sound great, but it can cause problems. If you tell a computer to start counting upwards, and don't tell it to stop, it'll keep counting forever! Being a good programmer is all about knowing how to tell a computer to act.

What Is a Program?

Programs are the building blocks of computers as they’re responsible for every operation that a computer performs. It's the set of instructions that are created during the programming process of software development. Without programs computers are useless.

Programs create software that an average user can recognize as a website or an application. When a program goes through the process of testing and debugging, it then becomes available to a user in the form of packaged software that can easily be installed on a device.