PIC and PIE

The -fPIC flag is a compiler option used in the context of generating position-independent code (PIC). It stands for "Position Independent Code." This flag is commonly used when building shared libraries or dynamically loadable modules to ensure that the code can be loaded at any memory address, and doesn't depend on a fixed memory location.

The -fPIE flag is another compiler option related to position-independent code, but it specifically stands for "Position Independent Executable." Like the -fPIC flag, it is used to generate position-independent code, but it is typically used for creating position-independent executables rather than shared libraries. When you compile code with -fPIE, the generated executable is designed to be position-independent, meaning it can be loaded at any memory address during runtime.