Runtime

/ɡreɪl viː ɛm/

noun … “Polyglot JVM for high-performance execution.”

/ˌkeɪ viː ˈɛm/

noun … “Linux-based virtualization for running multiple OS instances.”

/ˈhaɪpərˌvaɪzər/

noun … “Manages virtual machines on a physical host.”

/ˈvɜːrtʃuəl məˈʃiːn/

noun … “An emulated computer inside a host system.”

/veɪt/

noun … “a high-performance JavaScript and WebAssembly engine.”

V8 is a high-performance execution engine designed to run JavaScript and WebAssembly code efficiently and at scale. It is best known as the engine that powers modern web browsers like Google Chrome, but its influence extends far beyond the browser into servers, embedded systems, and tooling ecosystems.

/ˌɛm-ɛs-aɪ-ˈɛl/

n. “The Microsoft flavor of intermediate language inside .NET.”

MSIL, short for Microsoft Intermediate Language, is the original name for what is now more commonly referred to as CIL (Common Intermediate Language). It is the CPU-independent, low-level instruction set produced when compiling .NET languages such as C#, F#, or Visual Basic.

/ˈsɪl/ or /ˌsiː-aɪ-ˈɛl/

n. “The common language spoken inside .NET before it becomes machine code.”

CIL, short for Common Intermediate Language, is the low-level, platform-neutral instruction set used by the .NET ecosystem. It sits between high-level source code and native machine instructions, acting as the universal format understood by the CLR.

/ˌsiː-ɛl-ˈɑːr/

n. “The execution engine at the heart of .NET.”

CLR, short for Common Language Runtime, is the virtual execution environment used by Microsoft’s .NET platform. It provides the machinery that loads programs, manages memory, enforces security, and executes code in a controlled, language-agnostic runtime.

/ˌdʒeɪ-viː-ˈɛm/

n. “A virtual computer that runs Java… and much more.”

JVM, short for Java Virtual Machine, is an abstract computing environment that executes compiled Java bytecode. Rather than running Java programs directly on hardware, the JVM acts as an intermediary layer… translating portable bytecode into instructions the underlying operating system and CPU can understand.

/ˌdʒeɪ-aɪ-ˈtiː/

n. “Compiling code at the exact moment it becomes useful.”

JIT, short for just-in-time compilation, is a runtime compilation strategy where source code or intermediate bytecode is translated into machine code while the program is running. Instead of compiling everything up front, the system waits, observes what code is actually being executed, and then optimizes those hot paths on the fly.