What Is Bare-Metal Programming?

Don't you worry, it's not what you think. No hot metals or fire was included in making this term. The term "bare-metal programming" may sound like a new trend in the programming world, and it is. It's also not. Bare-metal programming is writing code that interacts with a system at the hardware level, taking into account the specific build of the hardware. This can be used to write code on an operating system or even without one. However, bare-metal programming has existed for years; it just has to be as widely used as other types of programming. The concept was first popularized in the 1950s by computer architect John von Neumann, who wanted his team to have access to all aspects of their computer's architecture so they could write code directly onto transistors rather than through an operating system. This allowed them to make changes more quickly and efficiently than using an operating system would have allowed. When you think of bare-metal programming, you probably imagine a programmer squatting over a computer with a soldering gun and a screwdriver, trying to get the motherboard to work. But it's not that simple. Bare-metal programming is sophisticated. It's just that it's usually done in C or C++ and can seem rather arcane if you're unfamiliar with the hardware. Bare-metal programming is when you're working directly with a machine language and its associated hardware components. No tools are involved and you don't rely on compilers or interpreters; you write code for your machine's work in as little time as possible. To do this effectively, though, programmers need to understand how things work at the most basic level: how processors work, how memory works, and so on. They also need to know how their target operating system works (if they're using one) since it usually plays an essential role in quickly getting things up and running.