What does Java use to achieve architecture independence?

Java achieves architecture independence through the use of byte code. This is an intermediate representation of the Java source code that is generated by the Java compiler when a Java program is compiled. The key feature of byte code is that it is not platform-specific; it can be executed on any machine that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which interprets or compiles the byte code into native machine code for the specific architecture.

This architecture independence allows developers to write Java applications once and run them anywhere, provided that there is a compatible JVM available. This is fundamentally different from machine code, which is specifically tailored for a given architecture and cannot be executed on other types of hardware without modification. Similarly, script code typically refers to code written in scripting languages like JavaScript or Python, and native code is compiled for a specific platform. Therefore, the use of byte code ensures that Java programs are portable and can operate across various systems without the need for recompilation.