ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) binaries organize compiled code and data into distinct sections. Inspecting section headers reveals memory layout requirements for embedded bootloaders.

readelf Section Inspection Commands

Terminal Commandsbash
# Display ELF section headers
readelf -S ./myapp_arm
 
# Summary breakdown:
# .text   -> Read-only executable CPU instructions
# .rodata -> Read-only string literals and const data
# .data   -> Read-write initialized global/static variables
# .bss    -> Zero-initialized global/static variables (unallocated in file)