What is a 'make target'?

Question

Why do I need to make a make target before being able to build my source code?

More specifically, what is make target exactly?

Answer 1

A makefile will usually include code to make your program, install your program, clean up afterward, and other things.

so the word target could be various keywords, such as all, install, clean, etc.

It's a way of saying make something. make all implies do everything