Runtime System

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What Does Runtime System Mean?

A runtime system refers to the collection of software and hardware resources that enable a software program to be executed on a computer system. The runtime system is a composite mechanism designed to provide program execution services, regardless of the programming language being used.

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Techopedia Explains Runtime System

A runtime system is primarily created by the programming language in the way it presents the programming architecture that’s native to the program. Typically, a runtime system provides both low level and high level commands, interfacing with both the primary software framework/library and the underlying hardware instructions set architecture (ISA). The low-level functions provided by a runtime system include processor interfacing, memory loading and digital-to-binary conversion, among others. The higher level functions include type checking, code generation, and debugging and optimization services.

Java Runtime Environment, for example, is a type of runtime system that provides the complete framework for executing and managing Java programs.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology expert

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.