executable files

Question

what is the difference between .exe and .dll files?

Abhishek Singh · Answer

Vivek EXE files are used for launching an application (it contains a startup function etc) whereas DLLs are loaded into an application (ie they can't run by themselves). EXE: 1.It's a executable file 2.When loading an executable no export is called but only the module entry point. 3.When a system launches new executable a new process is created 4.The entry thread is called in context of main thread of that process. DLL: 1.It's a Dynamic Link Library 2.There are multiple exported symbols. 3.The system loads a DLL into the context of an existing process. Hope this will help. Abhishek

Ranjit Powar · Answer

DLL: 1)it has versioning 2)it is not self executable 3)it runs in application process memory 4)it has no entry point 5)it is reusable Exe: 1)it is self executable 2)it has no versioning 3)it runs in own memory 4)it have main function(Entry point)