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During compile time, the malloc function is included in the code as a symbol that the linker can resolve when the program is compiled. The linker then generates a binary executable that includes the symbol for the malloc function.

During runtime, when the program starts, the operating system allocates a section of memory for the program to use. When a call to malloc is made, the program requests a specific amount of memory from the operating system, which then returns a pointer to the beginning of the allocated memory block. The program then uses this pointer to access and manipulate the data in the allocated memory block.

When the program is finished using the allocated memory, it can free it using the free function. The free function returns the allocated memory block back to the operating system for use by other programs.