What Is an ABI and Why Should You Care

Explore the critical concept of Application Binary Interface (ABI) in this 39-minute conference talk by Shung-Hsi Yu from SUSE. Discover the importance of ABI in ensuring backward compatibility for compiled programs and its distinction from the more commonly known Application Programming Interface (API). Learn about the factors that can break ABI, the consequences of such breakages, and methods to detect or prevent them. Delve into specific case studies, including the Linux Kernel's ABI, Python's stable ABI, and Foreign Function Interface, to gain a comprehensive understanding of this crucial yet often overlooked aspect of software development.

What Is an ABI, and Why Should You Care? - Shung-Hsi Yu, SUSE