Java (software platform)

<p>Java is a set of <a href="/facts/Computer_software/RP79lVSW">computer software</a> and specifications that provides a <a href="/facts/Software_platform/DmKwp5Bk">software platform</a> for developing <a href="/facts/Application_software/YQuj7Kog">application software</a> and deploying it in a <a href="/facts/Cross-platform/16zqdvNR">cross-platform</a> computing environment. Java is used in a wide variety of <a href="/facts/Computing_platform/DmKwp5Bk">computing platforms</a> from <a href="/facts/Embedded_device/a4muX1wU">embedded devices</a> and <a href="/facts/Mobile_phone/H3EcqD9h">mobile phones</a> to <a href="/facts/Enterprise_server/dEaYFD7r">enterprise servers</a> and <a href="/facts/Supercomputer/HT9NwGAN">supercomputers</a>. <a href="/facts/Java_applet/oulP2dyy">Java applets</a>, which are less common than standalone Java applications, were commonly run in secure, <a href="/facts/Sandbox_(computer_security)/WEm2u7oG">sandboxed</a> environments to provide many features of native applications through being embedded in <a href="/facts/HTML/sSc3fT78">HTML</a> pages.
</p><p>Writing in the <a href="/facts/Java_(programming_language)/9ScgFyAL">Java programming language</a> is the primary way to produce code that will be deployed as <a href="/facts/Java_byte_code/Nh1qKH4y">byte code</a> in a <a href="/facts/Java_virtual_machine/l9Nzrsun">Java virtual machine</a> (JVM); byte code <a href="/facts/Compiler/WNfCDFJe">compilers</a> are also available for other languages, including <a href="/facts/Ada_(programming_language)/Y2yHel4l">Ada</a>, <a href="/facts/JavaScript/XhhIIEsl">JavaScript</a>, <a href="/facts/Kotlin_(programming_language)/CrAqIFLn">Kotlin</a> (Google's preferred Android language), <a href="/facts/Python_(programming_language)/YbuGqofa">Python</a>, and <a href="/facts/Ruby_(programming_language)/BeYSaPSR">Ruby</a>. In addition, several languages have been designed to run natively on the JVM, including <a href="/facts/Clojure/3JRNxKXx">Clojure</a>, <a href="/facts/Groovy_(programming_language)/vGAckbte">Groovy</a>, and <a href="/facts/Scala_(programming_language)/ebL8o6AK">Scala</a>. <a href="/facts/Java_syntax/94FIPWBa">Java syntax</a> borrows heavily from <a href="/facts/C_(programming_language)/Ky2No763">C</a> and <a href="/facts/C%252B%252B/Et0F2qn9">C++</a>, but object-oriented features are modeled after <a href="/facts/Smalltalk/Ru2UPVDE">Smalltalk</a> and <a href="/facts/Objective-C/5mM557BW">Objective-C</a>. Java eschews certain <a href="/facts/Low-level_programming_language/EEpKS6mb">low-level</a> constructs such as <a href="/facts/Pointer_(computer_programming)/fPoNzy9b">pointers</a> and has a very simple <a href="/facts/Memory_model_(programming)/RtDrDzjL">memory model</a> where objects are <a href="/facts/Dynamic_memory_allocation/vthLkUpz">allocated on the heap</a> (while some implementations  e.g. all currently supported by Oracle, may use <a href="/facts/Escape_analysis/DzEFMdLX">escape analysis</a> optimization to allocate on the <a href="/facts/Stack-based_memory_allocation/Wem3dQa6">stack</a> instead) and all variables of object types are <a href="/facts/Reference_(computer_science)/1vm2Bph1">references</a>. <a href="/facts/Memory_management/vthLkUpz">Memory management</a> is handled through integrated automatic <a href="/facts/Garbage_collection_(computer_science)/j2vlIu7g">garbage collection</a> performed by the JVM.
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Java (software platform) open-in-new

Java (software platform)