Which component translates Java source into bytecode?

Which component translates Java source into bytecode?

• A. javac compiler
• B. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
• C. JRE
• D. Java bytecode assembler

Answer: (A)

This question tests how Java source becomes executable bytecode. The component that translates Java source into bytecode is the javac compiler. It takes your .java files and compiles them into .class files containing Java bytecode, which the JVM can execute. The JVM themselves don’t translate source to bytecode; they run the bytecode. The Java Runtime Environment provides the runtime plus libraries but doesn’t perform compilation. A Java bytecode assembler would turn assembled bytecode into bytecode form, but the standard process uses a compiler to generate bytecode directly from Java source.

This question tests how Java source becomes executable bytecode. The component that translates Java source into bytecode is the javac compiler. It takes your .java files and compiles them into .class files containing Java bytecode, which the JVM can execute. The JVM themselves don’t translate source to bytecode; they run the bytecode. The Java Runtime Environment provides the runtime plus libraries but doesn’t perform compilation. A Java bytecode assembler would turn assembled bytecode into bytecode form, but the standard process uses a compiler to generate bytecode directly from Java source.