Runtime system

A runtime system is software and supporting services that let a program execute in a particular environment. It can manage resources, provide libraries, and mediate between a program and its host.

Runtime environment: The software and conditions available while a program executes, including its operating system, libraries, and configuration. It describes the execution context a runtime system supplies or operates within.
Program execution: The process by which a computer carries out a program's instructions. A runtime system coordinates the conditions under which these instructions run.
Java Virtual Machine: A virtual machine that executes Java bytecode and supports the Java platform. It is a prominent runtime platform with bytecode execution, memory management, and libraries.
Compiler: A program that translates code from one representation or language into another, often before execution. Compilation may precede runtime activity, though some runtimes compile code during execution.
Application binary interface: A low-level contract governing how compiled programs interact with operating systems and libraries. Runtimes rely on calling conventions and binary interfaces to connect programs with host services.
Just-in-time compilation: Compilation that translates code into machine instructions during program execution. Some runtimes compile frequently used code while the program is running.
Common Language Runtime: The execution environment in .NET that provides services such as memory management and exception handling. It illustrates a runtime shared by programs written in multiple .NET languages.
Build system: Software that automates producing executable artifacts from source code and its dependencies. Build systems prepare programs for execution; runtime systems support them after execution begins.
Standard library: A language's collection of built-in modules for common tasks such as input, data handling, and networking. A runtime often supplies or exposes the standard library programs use during execution.
Garbage collection: Automatic reclamation of memory occupied by objects a program can no longer reach. Managed runtimes often reclaim unused memory without requiring explicit deallocation.

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