What is the difference between JDK, JRE, and JVM

The Java Development Kit (JDK), Java Runtime Environment (JRE), and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) are three core components of Java programming that serve distinct purposes:

JDK (Java Development Kit)

The JDK is a full-featured software development kit for Java that includes everything needed to develop Java applications. It contains the JRE, compilers, tools for debugging, and other utilities. This is primarily used by developers who write Java programs.

JRE (Java Runtime Environment)

The JRE provides a runtime environment to run Java applications. It includes the JVM and the standard libraries needed for executing Java programs, but it does not contain development tools like compilers or debuggers. End-users who just want to run Java applications need the JRE.

JVM (Java Virtual Machine)

The JVM is an abstract machine that allows Java bytecode to be executed on any platform. It provides the environment in which Java bytecode can be interpreted and run. The JVM is responsible for converting bytecode into machine language which can be understood by the hardware of the host machine.

Example of usage