Comparison of Java and Android API

This article compares the Java and Android API and virtual machines.

While most Android applications are written in Java, there are many differences between the Java API and the Android API, and Android does not use a Java Virtual Machine but another one called Dalvik.

Android's Process Virtual machine

There is no Java Virtual Machine in the Android platform. Java byte code is not executed. Instead Java classes are compiled into Dalvik executables and run on Dalvik, a specialized virtual machine (VM) designed specifically for Android. Unlike Java VMs, which are stack machines, the Dalvik VM is a register-based architecture.

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See also

• Android (operating system)
• Dalvik (software)
• Java (programming language)