

The distinction is that the JDK is a package of tools for developing Java-based software, whereas the JRE is a package of tools for running Java code. The JDK provides the tools necessary to write Java programs that can be executed and run by the JVM and JRE.ĭevelopers new to Java often confuse the Java Development Kit and the Java Runtime Environment.The JRE is the on-disk part of Java that creates the JVM and loads programs into them.The JVM is the runtime that hosts running programs.It's important to differentiate between these three technologies and understand how they're connected: The Java Development Kit (JDK) is one of three core technology packages used in Java programming, along with the JVM (Java Virtual Machine) and the JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
