Month: January 2026

Executable Exports Symbols

  • Haco
  • January 15, 2026
  • 6 min read

There are actually several critical scenarios where an executable must export symbols. The confusion usually lies in the direction of the linking. You are right that Executable A rarely links dynamically to Executable B to call functions inside B. However, the reverse happens frequently: Dynamic Libraries (Plugins) loaded by Executable A often need to call functions inside Executable A. Here are the specific reasons why an executable needs to keep exported symbols: 1. The "Host-Plugin" Architecture (Most Common) This is the primary reason. If your executable supports plugins…

Tailcall in AArch64

  • Haco
  • January 15, 2026
  • 3 min read

In AArch64 (ARM64), for a tail call to work, the current function must tear down its own stack frame before branching to the next function. If it didn't, the stack would grow infinitely with every tail call, causing a stack overflow. Here is exactly how the "reuse" works at the assembly level, step-by-step. 1. The Standard Mechanism In a normal return, a function ends with an epilogue that restores registers and the stack pointer, followed by a ret instruction. In a tail call, the compiler generates a special…