Java JVM, JRE And JDK

In this post shows  the key differences between JDK, JRE, and JVM in this article.

What is JVM?

JVM (Java Virtual Machine) is an abstract machine that enables your computer to run a Java program.

When you run the Java program, Java compiler first compiles your Java code to bytecode. Then, the JVM translates bytecode into native machine code.

Java is a platform-independent language. It's because when you write Java code, it's ultimately written for JVM but not your physical machine (computer). Since, JVM ​executes the Java bytecode which is platform independent, Java is platform-independent.

What is JRE?

JRE (Java Runtime Environment) is a software package that provides Java class libraries, along with Java Virtual Machine (JVM), and other components to run applications written in Java programming. JRE is the superset of JVM.

What is JDK?

JDK (Java Development Kit) is a software development kit to develop applications in Java. When you download JDK, JRE is also downloaded, and don't need to download it separately. In addition to JRE, JDK also contains number of development tools (compilers, JavaDoc, Java Debugger etc).