C# FAQ: What are the differences between CSharp and Java runtimes

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What are the differences between the C# and Java runtimes?

What are the differences between the C# and Java virtual machines?

Both C# and the Java language are typically compiled to an intermediate code—.NET: intemediate language, Java: byte code. Intermediate code does not run directly on the hardware but is either interpreted by the managed execution environment—.NET: Common Language Runtime (CLR), Java: Java Virtual Machine (JVM)—or assembled into native machine code.

In addition, both systems support Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation into machine code—.NET: IL is always assembled into machine code before execution, Java: optional assembly of byte code into machine code.

See also

• C# for Java Developers