Even if you are not an experienced programmer, you have probably heard something about Java. It is not only a programming language but also a widely used software platform. In this topic, you will get some essential ideas about the Java platform and learn how to write and run your programs in Java environment.

Writing a program

As a developer, the first thing you do while creating a program is writing the source code in a plain text file and saving it with an extension corresponding to the programming language you've chosen (.java for the Java language, .kt for Kotlin, and so on). A single program consists of one or more such files, which contain instructions specifying what the program does. The source code must follow the syntax rules of the respective language and be easy to read and understand.

Compilation

After the code is written, you need to make the computer run the program. As computers don't understand the source code, it needs to be translated into a computer-comprehensible format. That's where a special program called a compiler comes in handy. The code obtained after compilation is called native code or low-level code. Each computer platform uses different low-level commands, just like people around the world speak different languages. It creates an additional challenge to use a program on different devices.

In the world of Java, a compiler (the javac tool for Java or the kotlinc tool for Kotlin) translates source code into an intermediate representation known as Java bytecode stored in files with a .class extension. Computers can't read bytecode without translation, but a system called the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) can execute it.

Running a program

The Java Virtual Machine is an application that represents a virtual computer according to the JVM specification document. It executes the compiled Java bytecode and translates it into low-level commands, which the computer understands. Each platform has its own version of the JVM, but since all JVMs match the same specification, your program will behave identically on different devices.

One of the main concepts of the Java Platform is "write once, run anywhere". It means that a program can run on various devices as long as they have a JVM installed. This concept is also frequently called platform independence or portability.

提示

It's important to remember: the code input into the JVM is platform-independent, while the output code is platform-dependent.

A platform-independent program in the world of Java

If the JVM is installed on the computer, you can run a compiled JVM program using the java tool. It will open a file with the .class extension to launch the program from this file. The tool is the same for all JVM languages.

The picture below briefly summarizes the work cycle of a JVM program.

JVM languages

The Java Platform allows using more than one programming language to create programs. This is achieved by the design of the JVM: it doesn't know anything about any particular programming language. It only understands Java bytecode. If the tools for a programming language can generate bytecode, programs written in this language can be executed on the JVM. Such languages are often called JVM languages. They include Java itself, Kotlin, Scala, Groovy, Clojure, and others. So, to create programs in the world of Java, you can choose the most convenient language of your choice.

Nowadays, you can find tools to generate Java bytecode for almost any programming language, which means that there's hardly any language that is not a JVM language.

Different programming languages can be used to write programs in the world of Java

Conclusion

• Developers write program source code in text files with appropriate extensions.
• Compilers translate source code into Java bytecode stored in .class files.
• The Java Virtual Machine executes bytecode, giving low-level commands to the computer.
• All JVMs are defined by the JVM specification, thus providing platform independence for programs.