MEP-42 Linker and Runtime Recommendation
One paragraph each, Phase 1 vs Phase 2.
Tag
Linkers
7 notes
Skipping the Linker Entirely
Emitting a self-contained executable from the compiler, no external linker required.
GNU ld (bfd) and gold
The historical Linux workhorse and its dying sibling.
Apple's New Linker (ld_prime / ld_new)
The closed-source Mach-O linker that ships in Xcode 15 and later.
mold: The Modern Linker
The fastest production ELF linker, single-author, MIT licensed.
LLD: The LLVM Linker
One binary, four object formats, cross-link from any host.
Linkers
LLD, mold, Apple ld_prime, GNU ld + gold, the no-linker path, summary recommendation.