What is bytecode?

Bytecode is best understood as an intermediate representation of a program that has been generated from the source code but has not yet been compiled into machine code that can be directly executed by a hardware processor. This form of code is typically produced as part of the compilation process, especially in languages that are executed on virtual machines (like Java or C#).

The primary advantage of bytecode is its portability; it can be executed on any machine that has the appropriate interpreter or virtual machine, allowing the same program to run across different platforms without modification. This means that the source code is first translated into bytecode, which may then be further compiled into machine code as needed during execution, ensuring that it can be executed efficiently on the target machine.

The other choices do not accurately describe bytecode. The final executable code is usually machine code that is specific to the hardware architecture and not intermediate. Machine language used in CPUs refers specifically to instructions that the CPU can execute directly, whereas bytecode requires a higher-level interpreter or virtual machine and does not run directly on hardware.