What is a Low Level Language?

Last Updated : 19 Nov, 2023

Both High level language and low level language are the programming language's types. The main difference between high level language and low level language is that, Programmers can easily understand or interpret or compile the high level language in comparison of machine. Low level language is high memory efficient.

What is Low Level Languages?

We call those languages as low level languages which are closer to hardware as compared to high-level languages instead of software. They provide little or no abstraction from the machine instructions and that's why they allow programmers to manipulate hardware elements like register, memory etc. Low-level languages are often used for designing systems, such as developing operating systems, device drivers, and embedded systems.

Types of Low-Level Languages

Low level language are divided into two types.

Machine Language

We know that machines follow the language of binary system, means 0 and 1. Machine language is low level language which consists of binary codes which are directly operated by CPU Central Processing Unit. There every instruction are written in form of 0 and 1, so its very challenging for humans to understand and use as primary language.

Assembly Language

Assembly language is a way of writing computer programs that are very close to how the computer works. It have some symbols and codes that represent the basic operations that the computer can perform, which includes adding, moving, or comparing numbers. Because every computer use different architecture for processing so computer have there own instructions so we can say every computer have there own assembly language. It is way higher level language then machine language so its more faster and but still its hard to write and read. To run a program written using assembly language we need to convert it to machine language which is binary . This conversion is done by a program called an assembler.

Languages Examples

x86 Assembly: Commonly used in Intel-based systems, x86 assembly is widely employed for low-level system programming and device drivers.
ARM Assembly: Popular in embedded systems, mobile devices, and IoT applications, ARM assembly language is known for its power efficiency and versatility.
Machine Languages: While machine languages vary between different CPU architectures, they all share the common attribute of consisting of binary code that the CPU can execute directly.

Uses of Low-Level Language

Low-level programming languages find applications in various fields, including:

Operating System Development: We know that a operating system needs a lot of hardware resources to operate and they must be connected each other in some way. Low level programming languages helps managing hardware resources and allow s using them with control and efficiency.
Embedded Systems: In devices where hardware has to operate directly with on code, like microcontrollers, medical equipment, automotive systems, and IoT devices, low level languages allows us to establish some control over hardware.
Device Drivers: Most of the device drivers such as headphone drivers, speaker drivers are written in low level languages to ensure proper use of hardware, thus facilitating communication between hardware and operating system.
Real-time Systems: There are systems which require performing actions according to time, means require strict timing and minimal response latency for example in aviation control systems and robotics, rely on low-level languages for precise control.
Reverse Engineering: Testing and debugging of hardware and software. Low-level languages allow programmers to directly manipulate the registers and memory of the computer and monitor the execution of instructions. Low-level languages are invaluable for analyzing and understanding the proper functioning of software or malware.

Advantages of Low-Level Languages

Low level languages provides efficiency to programmers because they allow them to write highly optimised code which can use system resources such as memory, handling CPU cycles very efficiently
Programmers are able manipulate hardware registers and memory locations, enabling precise control over devices, peripherals, and system resources using low level languages
Low level languages lack abstraction means there is very less layers between programmer and hardware which allows programmers to change their code for specific tasks and gain a deep understanding of how the hardware functioning.
Due to direct hardware control of low level languages, they can be used to implement security features and access control mechanisms at a very low level.