What's the differences between .dll , .lib, .h files?

Question

Why in a project should I include some *.lib, .h or some other files? And what are these things used for?

score 98 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 24 '14 at 23:35

98

.h: header file, its a source file containing declarations (as opposed to .cpp, .cxx, etc. containing implementations),
.lib: static library may contain code or just links to a dynamic library. Either way it's compiled code that you link with your program. The static library is included in your .exe at link time.
.dll: dynamic library. Just like a static one but you need to deploy it with your .exe file because it's loaded at run time.

edited Aug 24 '14 at 23:35

Sam

answered Nov 22 '09 at 07:40

siukurnin

It should be noted that there is also something which is called "Import Library" check http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3573475/how-does-the-import-library-work-details – Wakan Tanka Sep 08 '16 at 22:40

score 30 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 22 '09 at 07:40

H Declares the interface to a library - including functions, structures, and constants. Written in the C language.
LIB Either declares the binary interface to a dynamic library (DLL) or contains the binary code of a library.
DLL A dynamic library - your application shares these with the system or you use them to keep your code base organized.
DEF A textual description of functions exported by a DLL.

score -6 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 19 '15 at 08:43

-6

*.dlb is similar to static library.

edited Mar 19 '15 at 08:43

timrau

answered Mar 19 '15 at 06:39

john david

3 Answers3