What is Java?

Learn that Java is a compiled, object-oriented and platform-independent language.

What is Java?

Java is an object-oriented, platform-independent programming language created by Sun Microsystems in 1995. Today it is developed by Oracle and Java 21 LTS is the latest long-term support release.

Java is a compiled language: with javac you turn your source code into a .class file (bytecode). This bytecode runs on any JVM (Java Virtual Machine). Because of this, Java code runs the same way on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Java is widely used for Android apps, web servers, big data systems and enterprise software.

What can you build with Java?

Java has a wide range of use cases:

Android: a large share of mobile apps are written in Java
Web servers: large systems with Spring and Jakarta EE
Big data: tools like Hadoop and Spark are Java-based
Enterprise software: banking and insurance systems

This versatility makes Java one of the most popular languages in the world.

Test yourself

What runs a Java program?
- A web browser
- Only a compiler
- The JVM (Java Virtual Machine)
- The OS kernel
Show answer

The JVM (Java Virtual Machine) — Java bytecode runs on the JVM.
Match the concepts

Java

Programming language
JVM

Runtime
JDK

Development kit
javac

Compiler
Which can NOT be done with Java?
- Build an Android app
- Write a web server
- Build a big data tool
- Write an OS kernel
Show answer

Write an OS kernel — Kernels are typically written in C; Java is not suited for that.

Java is an ___ language

Java is an ____ language.

Show answer

Java is an object-oriented language.

Next lesson: The main method

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