4.6.11.1 L: Specify Library File Option

The -llibrary option looks for the specified file (with a .a extension) and scans this library archive for unresolved symbols when linking.

The directories searched include several standard system directories, plus any that you specify with -L.

The only difference between using an -l option (e.g., -lmylib) and specifying a file name on the command line (e.g., mylib.a) is that the compiler will search for the library specified using -l in several directories, as specified by the -L option.