In C programming, file operations are essential for storing and retrieving data even after the program ends. Files provide persistent storage, which is not possible with variables or arrays that lose their data once the program terminates. The fopen() function is used to open a file, and it requires two arguments: the file name and the mode (“r” for read, “w” for write, “a” for append, etc.). When you open a file, the system creates a link between the program and the file using a file pointer.

For reading and writing, C provides different functions. fread() and fwrite() are used for reading and writing binary data, which is useful when dealing with files containing images or compiled data.

For text data, fprintf() and fscanf() are used to write formatted output and read formatted input, respectively. After all file operations are completed, the file should be closed using fclose(). This releases the memory and system resources allocated for the file and ensures all data is correctly saved to disk. Forgetting to close a file can lead to data loss or corruption, especially in write or append mode.