What is the role of bytecode in the execution of programs on virtual machines?

Bytecode is an intermediate representation of a program, created after compiling the source code (for example, Java) and executed by a virtual machine (JVM). The role of bytecode is as follows:

• Platform independence: bytecode is the same for all platforms that have a corresponding virtual machine.
• Optimization: JVM can execute bytecode through interpretation or compilation into machine code (JIT compilation), which increases performance.
• Security: the virtual machine controls the execution of bytecode, ensuring security and isolation.

Example: Java source code is compiled into bytecode (.class files), which is then run by the JVM on any supported platform.