Is it possible to run a JAR archive without pre-installing additional programs?

To run a JAR archive, you need to have a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK) installed, as a JAR file is an archive with Java bytecode executed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Without installing the JVM beforehand, you cannot run a JAR directly. However, there are ways to package the JVM with the application, such as using tools like jlink (starting from Java 9) or GraalVM, which allow creating a self-contained executable.

Therefore, if Java is not installed on the machine, you need to either install the JVM or use a pre-packaged application with the JVM inside.