Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It is mostly used for building desktop applications, web applications, Android apps, and enterprise systems.
Key Features of Java
Platform Independent: Java is famous for its Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA) feature. This means we can write our Java code once, and it will run on any device or operating system if Java Virtual Machine is installed.
Simple: No complex features like pointers and multiple inheritance, which makes it a good choice for beginners.
Object-Oriented: This makes code clean and reusable.
Secured: Since there are no pointers, it has built-in protections to keep our programs secure from common problems like memory leakage and segment fault.
Multithreading: Programs can do many things at the same time using multiple threads. This is useful for handling complex tasks like processing transactions.
Just-In-Time (JIT) Compiler: Java uses a JIT compiler. It improves performance by converting the bytecode into machine readable code at the time of execution.
🔑 Key Features of Java
1. Simple
Java is easy to learn, especially for those familiar with C or C++.
It removes complex features like pointers, operator overloading, and multiple inheritance (replaced by interfaces).
2. Object-Oriented
Everything in Java is treated as an object, making it easy to model real-world problems.
Key OOP concepts used: Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction.
3. Platform-Independent
Java code is compiled into bytecode, which runs on any machine with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
This is why Java is called WORA – Write Once, Run Anywhere.
4. Secure
Java does not use pointers (reduces memory corruption risk).
It has a Security Manager and Bytecode Verifier to check code before execution.
Supports encryption and secure network communication.
5. Robust (Strong & Reliable)
Java handles memory management automatically using Garbage Collection.
Has strong type checking (compiler detects errors early).
Exception handling prevents program crashes.
6. Multithreaded
Java supports multithreading, allowing multiple tasks to run simultaneously.
Useful for animation, gaming, and parallel processing.
7. Portable
Java programs are not machine-specific.
Bytecode is the same on all operating systems (Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.).
8. High Performance (Compared to Traditional Interpreted Languages)
Though not as fast as C/C++, Java uses Just-In-Time (JIT) Compiler to convert bytecode into native machine code at runtime, making it faster.
9. Distributed
Java has APIs like RMI (Remote Method Invocation) and EJB (Enterprise JavaBeans) to build distributed applications.
Used in networking and cloud-based apps.
10. Dynamic & Extensible
Java can dynamically link new class libraries, methods, and objects at runtime.
This makes it flexible and adaptable for large-scale applications.