Looking at the byte code
The class file is a binary file. The main role of this format is to be executed by the JVM and to provide symbolic information for the Java compiler when a code uses some of the classes from a library. When we compile our program that contains System.out.println, the compiler looks at the compiled .class files and not at the source code. It has to find the class named System, the field named out, and the method println. When we debug a piece of code or try to find out why a program does not find a class or method, we will need a way to look into the binary of the .class files. This is not an everyday task and it takes some advanced knowledge
To do so, there is a decompiler that can display the content of a .class ...
Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.
Read now
Unlock full access