Inside the JIT compiler

While it is one thing to compile bytecodes to native code and have it executed within the JVM, getting it to run as efficiently as possible is a different story. This is where 40 years of research into compilers is useful, along with some insight into the Java language. This section discusses how a JIT compiler can turn bytecode into efficient native code.

Working with bytecode

A compiler for a programming language typically starts out with source code, such as C++. A Java JIT compiler, in a JVM, is different in the way that it has to start out with Java bytecode, parts of which are quite low level and assembly-like. The JIT compiler frontend, similar to a C++ compiler frontend, can be reused on all architectures, as it's ...

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