What does "source code" mean?

"Source code" refers to the set of human-readable instructions written in a programming language that a developer creates to implement functionality in software applications. This code serves as the fundamental blueprint for the software, allowing programmers to define logic, control structures, data manipulation, and other components that drive a program's behavior.

The importance of source code lies in its readability and maintainability, enabling engineers to collaborate, modify, and improve applications effectively. It is typically written in high-level languages such as Python, Java, or C++, which are easier for humans to understand compared to machine code or binary instructions that computers directly execute.

While compiled languages do produce machine code that the computer can run, they require source code as the starting point before compilation occurs. Debugging tools and graphical user interfaces might assist developers but do not define the essence of what source code is.