The Java Virtual Machine

This part describes the backgrounds of the Java virtual machine needed to understand how to compile to a Java class file. It describes how the JVM is structured internally, how a class file is structured, what the instruction set of the JVM is and how field and method descriptors are structured.

• Introduction
• Internals of the JVM
  • Types
    • Primitive Types
    • Reference Types
  • Runtime Data Areas
  • Frames
• The Java Class File Format
  • The Class File Structure
  • Fields in a Class File
• The JVM Instruction Set
  • Typed Instructions
  • The Instruction Set
    • Load Instructions
    • Store Instructions
    • Arithmetic Instructions
    • Conversion Instructions
    • Class Instances and Array Instructions
    • Stack Manipulation Instructions
    • Branch and Comparison Instructions
    • Method Instructions
    • Miscellaneous Instructions
• Descriptors
  • Field Descriptors
  • Method Descriptors