The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is a virtual machine that enables a computer to run a Java program. It provides the runtime environment in which Java bytecode can be executed. It is the component of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that interprets compiled Java code and executes it on the computer.
An example of how the JVM works is when a Java program is compiled, the compiled code is called bytecode. This bytecode is platform-independent and can run on any system that has a JVM installed. The JVM reads the bytecode, translates it into machine code, and then executes it.