Lexicon Entry

Process Loading

The sequence of steps the OS performs to launch a program: reading the executable header, mapping segments into virtual memory, and jumping to the entry point.

Related Knowledge & Cross-References

Guide

Feb 14, 2026

Process Loading & Creation: The Life of a Binary

Curious about process loading? We trace the journey from disk to execution, covering the OS loader, ASLR, and dynamic linking on Linux, macOS, and Windows.