What is the purpose of an Assembler in programming?

The purpose of an assembler in programming is to translate assembly language into machine code. Assembly language is a low-level programming language that provides a symbolic representation of a computer's machine code instructions, allowing programmers to write instructions in a more human-readable format compared to binary code.

When an assembler processes assembly language code, it converts the mnemonics and symbolic addresses into the binary machine code that a computer's processor can execute. Each instruction in assembly corresponds directly to machine code, so this translation is essential for running the program on hardware.

Understanding this function highlights the role of an assembler in the software development process, particularly in systems programming or when performance is crucial, as assembly language often provides more efficient control over hardware compared to high-level programming languages. The other choices do not pertain to the assembler's role; they describe functions meant for compilers, debuggers, and storage formats, which are distinct from the specific task of translating assembly language to machine code.