JRE vs JVM vs JDK

JDK (Java Development Kit)

Java Developer Kit contains tools needed to develop the Java programs, and JRE to run the programs. The tools include compiler (javac.exe), Java application launcher (java.exe), Appletviewer, etc…

Compiler converts java code into byte code. Java application launcher opens a JRE, loads the class, and invokes its main method.

You need JDK, if at all you want to write your own programs, and to compile the m. For running java programs, JRE is sufficient.

JRE is targeted for execution of Java files

i.e. JRE = JVM + Java Packages Classes(like util, math, lang, awt,swing etc)+runtime libraries.

JDK is mainly targeted for java development. I.e. You can create a Java file (with the help of Java packages), compile a Java file and run a java file

JRE (Java Runtime Environment)

Java Runtime Environment contains JVM, class libraries, and other supporting files. It does not contain any development tools such as compiler, debugger, etc. Actually JVM runs the program, and it uses the class libraries, and other supporting files provided in JRE. If you want to run any java program, you need to have JRE installed in the system

The Java Virtual Machine provides a platform-independent way of executing code; programmers can concentrate on writing software, without having to be concerned with how or where it will run.

If u just want to run applets (ex: Online Yahoo games or puzzles), JRE needs to be installed on the machine.

JVM (Java Virtual Machine)

As we all aware when we compile a Java file, output is not an ‘exe’ but it’s a ‘.class’ file. ‘.class’ file consists of Java byte codes which are understandable by JVM. Java Virtual Machine interprets the byte code into the machine code depending upon the underlying operating system and hardware combination. It is responsible for all the things like garbage collection, array bounds checking, etc… JVM is platform dependent.

The JVM is called “virtual” because it provides a machine interface that does not depend on the underlying operating system and machine hardware architecture. This independence from hardware and operating system is a cornerstone of the write-once run-anywhere value of Java programs.

There are different JVM implementations are there. These may differ in things like performance, reliability, speed, etc. These implementations will differ in those areas where Java specification doesn’t mention how to implement the features, like how the garbage collection process works is JVM dependent, Java spec doesn’t define any specific way to do this.

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A Java virtual machine (JVM), an implementation of the Java Virtual Machine Specification, interprets compiled Java binary code (calledbytecode) for a computer’s processor (or “hardware platform”) so that it can perform a Java program’s instructions. Java was designed to allow application programs to be built that could be run on any platform without having to be rewritten or recompiled by the programmer for each separate platform. A Java virtual machine makes this possible because it is aware of the specific instruction lengths and other particularities of the platform.

The Java Virtual Machine Specification defines an abstract — rather than a real — machine or processor. The Specification specifies an instruction set, a set of registers, a stack, a “garbage heap,” and a method area. Once a Java virtual machine has been implemented for a given platform, any Java program (which, after compilation, is called bytecode) can run on that platform. A Java virtual machine can either interpret the bytecode one instruction at a time (mapping it to a real processor instruction) or the bytecode can be compiled further for the real processor using what is called a just-in-time compiler.

Just-in-time compiler

In the Java programming language and environment, a just-in-time (JIT) compiler is a program that turns Java bytecode (a program that contains instructions that must be interpreted) into instructions that can be sent directly to the processor. After you’ve written a Java program, the source language statements are compiled by the Java compiler intobytecode rather than into code that contains instructions that match a particular hardware platform’s processor (for example, an Intel Pentiummicroprocessor or an IBM System/390 processor). The bytecode is platform-independent code that can be sent to any platform and run on that platform.

In the past, most programs written in any language have had to be recompiled, and sometimes, rewritten for each computer platform. One of the biggest advantages of Java is that you only have to write and compile a program once. The Java on any platform will interpret the compiled bytecode into instructions understandable by the particular processor. However, the virtual machine handles one bytecode instruction at a time. Using the Java just-in-time compiler (really a second compiler) at the particular system platform compiles the bytecode into the particular system code (as though the program had been compiled initially on that platform). Once the code has been (re-)compiled by the JIT compiler, it will usually run more quickly in the computer.

The just-in-time compiler comes with the virtual machine and is used optionally. It compiles the bytecode into platform-specific executable code that is immediately executed. Sun Microsystems suggests that it’s usually faster to select the JIT compiler option, especially if the method executable is repeatedly reused.

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