What does the native modifier mean in a Java class method?

The native modifier indicates that the method implementation is written in another programming language (e.g., C, C++), rather than Java. These methods are loaded from a shared library (.so or .dll) at runtime.

Used for:

• Interacting with low-level operating system functions.
• Integrating with existing code written in other languages.
• Improving performance in critical sections of code.

Example declaration:

public native void printHelloFromC();

The standard JNI (Java Native Interface) framework is used for working with native methods.