A bitwise operation is a technique used in computer programming to manipulate individual bits of binary numbers. These operations include AND, OR, XOR, NOT, and bit shifts, allowing programmers to perform calculations and control data at a low level. For example, the AND operation compares two bits and returns 1 only if both bits are 1, while the OR operation returns 1 if at least one of the bits is 1. Bitwise operations are essential in various applications, such as optimizing performance in algorithms, managing flags in programming, and working with low-level data structures. They are commonly used in languages like C, C++, and Python, making them a fundamental concept in computer science and software development.