What Is C?

C is a procedural, compiled language created in the early 1970s. It is the lingua‑franca of system programming, embedded devices, OS kernels, and performance‑critical software.

• Developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs.
• Provides low‑level access to memory while still being portable.
• Basis for many later languages (C++, C#, Java, Go, Rust).