Java Virtual Machine Tool Interface (JVMTI, or more properly, JVM TI) was introduced in J2SE 5.0 (''Tiger''). This interface allows a program to inspect the state and to control the execution of applications running in the

Java Virtual Machine A Java virtual machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is detailed by a specification that formally descr ...

(JVM). JVMTI is designed to provide an

Application Programming Interface An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software Interface (computing), interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that des ...

(API) for the development of tools that need access to the state of the JVM. Examples for such tools are

debugger A debugger is a computer program used to test and debug other programs (the "target" programs). Common features of debuggers include the ability to run or halt the target program using breakpoints, step through code line by line, and display ...

s or profilers. The JVMTI is a native interface of the JVM. A library, written in C or C++, is loaded during the initialization of the JVM. The library has access to the JVM state by calling JVMTI and JNI (

Java Native Interface The Java Native Interface (JNI) is a foreign function interface programming framework that enables Java code running in a Java virtual machine (JVM) to call and be called by native applications (programs specific to a hardware and operating s ...

) functions and can register to receive JVMTI events using event handler functions that are called by the JVM when such an event occurs. JVMTI was defined through the

Java Community Process The Java Community Process (JCP), established in 1998, is a formal mechanism that enables interested parties to develop standard technical specifications for Java technology. Becoming a member of the JCP requires solid knowledge of the Java program ...

by JSR-163, the specification for the Java Platform Profiling Architecture. The JVMTI replaces the JVMPI (Java Virtual Machine Profiling Interface) and the JVMDI (Java Virtual Machine Debug Interface). The JVMPI and the JVMDI are declared as being deprecated in J2SE 5.0 and were removed in Java SE 6. JVMTI is the lowest-level of the

Java Platform Debugger Architecture The Java Platform Debugger Architecture (JPDA) is a collection of APIs to debug Java code. * Java Debugger Interface (JDI) – defines a high-level Java language interface that developers can easily use to write remote debugger application tools. ...

External links

*
Creating a Debugging and Profiling Agent with JVMTI

References

{{Reflist Java development tools Java specification requests Java virtual machine