Both Program and Process help in executing a program. A group of operations (ordered) is known as a program. It helps in achieving the goal of programming. A program’s executing part is known as the process. There are more ways in which both of them vary. We will first discuss individual meanings and features of both of these terms before we get into the difference between program and process. Let us get into it.
What is a Program?
It is an executable type of file that consists of a set of various instructions. These instructions complete the specified operation/ job on your computer device. For instance, the browser chrome.exe of Google is an executable type of file that stores an instruction set written in it- allowing a user to explore the web pages by opening the browser.
These programs don’t exist on a computer device’s primary memory. Instead of this. the programs get stored on the secondary memory or on a disk of your laptop or PC. A device reads the program from its primary memory, and then the kernel executes it.
What is a Process?
It is basically an execution of any specified program. A process is an active entity that performs the actions of an application’s purpose. Various processes are related to the very same program. For instance, when we double-click on the browser of Google Chrome, we initiate a process of running Google Chrome. Conversely, when we open other instances of Chrome, we ultimately start creating a second process.
In this article, we will explore the difference between program and process in a tabular form. Read ahead to know more.
Difference Between Program and Process
| Parameters | Program | Process |
| Meaning and Definition | A group of operations (ordered) is known as a Program. It helps in achieving the goal of programming. | A program’s executing part is known as the Process. |
| Management of Resources | A Program utilizes only its memory for storage purposes. | The requirement of resources is pretty high in the case of a Process. |
| Nature | A program has an overall passive nature. Thus, it is very unlikely to perform something until you execute it. | A given instance in which a program gets executed is known as the process. |
| Overheads | It costs no significant overhead. | A process has quite a considerable overhead. |
| Process of Creation | You don’t need to duplicate an old program for creating a new one. You can generate a separate program on your own. | The creation of a new process requires a user to duplicate the parent process through which it roots. |
| Lifespan | It has a comparatively longer lifespan. It is because a device stores its programs in its memory unit, and you can only delete it manually. | It has a very short lifespan. It is very limited because the completion/ termination of a task ultimately leads to the termination of the concerned process. |
| Resources Required | A program doesn’t require any resources because the device saves the program on some files on its disk. | A process utilizes resources such as memory address, I/O, disk, CPU, printer, etc. |
| Type of Entity | It is a static or passive type of entity. You can find it on a device’s secondary memory. | It is a dynamic or active type of entity. You can find it on a device’s active memory. |
| Control Block | A control block does not exist for any of the Programs. | A separate control block exists for the processes. It is known as the Process Control Block. |
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