The compilation process involves several stages:

1. Preprocessing: Handle macros and file inclusions.
2. 
   
3. Lexical Analysis: Break down the code into tokens.
4. 
   
5. Syntax Analysis: Analyze the grammatical structure.
6. 
   
7. Semantic Analysis: Check for semantic correctness.
8. 
   
9. Optimization: Improve efficiency.
10. 
    
11. Code Generation: Translate to machine code.
12. 
    
13. Linking: Combine code from multiple files and libraries.
14. 
    
15. Loading: (Optional) Prepare the program for execution.
16. 
    

Each stage plays a critical role in transforming high-level code into an executable program that the computer can run.