Flex includes the following application and component compilers:

• Application compilers. The application compilers create SWF files from MXML, ActionScript, and other assets such as images, SWF files, and SWC files.
• Component compilers. The component compilers create SWC files from the same kinds of files. The application compilers then use the SWC files as component libraries, themes, or RSLs.

The following example shows the input and output of the Flex compilers:

You open the application compiler with the mxmlc command-line tool, the Flex Builder Build Project option, or with the run-time web-tier compiler. You open the component compiler with the Flex Builder Build Project option for a Library Project or with the compc command-line tool.