Interpreter

An interpreter is used in order to interpret the source code of an interpreted language so the computer understands the program.

Instead of converting the source code into machine code like a compiler would, an interpreter instead steps through each instruction of the program and executes code based on this.

Interpreted languages

Advantages of interpreted languages

• Very little overhead, so programs can be run and tested quickly, allowing for rapid iteration

Disadvantages of interpreted languages

• Generally slower execution
• The interpreter must be installed on the user's system

Bytecode interpreters

With some interpreters such as the python interpreter and the Java Virtual Machine, instead of stepping through the source code, the source code is instead first compiled into an intermediate representation, such as bytecode. This IR is then interpreted.

These bytecode interpreters are often known as process virtual machines.