Java technology is both a programming language and a platform.

The Java programming language is a high-level, object-oriented language. Java programs are both compiled and interpreted. Compilation translates Java code into an intermediate language called Java bytecode. Bytecode is in turn parsed and run (interpreted) by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) — a translator between the language and the underlying operating system and hardware. A compiled Java program can run on any system that has a version of the JVM.

The Java platform is a software-only platform that can run on top of most hardware platforms. It consists of the JVM and the Java Application Programming Interface (API) — a large collection of ready-made components (classes) that ease application development and deployment. The Java API spans everything from basic objects, to networking and security, to XML generation and web services. It is grouped into libraries — known as packages — of related classes and interfaces.

The Java platform comes in three versions (see What are the three Java platform versions? below). Along with the Java API, every full implementation of the Java platform includes:

• Development tools for compiling, running, monitoring, debugging, and documenting applications.

• Standard mechanisms for deploying applications to users.

• User interface toolkits that let you create sophisticated graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

• Integration libraries that let programs access databases and manipulate remote objects.