Bytes01

Machine Code vs Byte Code

Feature Bytecode Machine Code
Definition Intermediate code between source and machine code Final code the CPU executes directly
Target Runs on a virtual machine (VM) Runs on physical CPU
Portability ✅ Platform-independent ❌ Platform/CPU-specific
Execution Needs interpreter or JIT compiler Directly executed by the processor
Speed Slower than machine code Fastest possible execution
Example Languages Java, Python, JavaScript (V8 bytecode) C, C++, Assembly