Interpreter
An interpreter directly executes source code or bytecode without compiling to machine code, translating and executing statement by statement.
Purpose
Understand the execution model of scripting languages and interactive development.
Mechanism
Parses and executes line by line / statement by statement. Bytecode interpreters (Python/Java JVM) compile to bytecode first, then interpret. JIT hybrids compile hot code to machine code for speed. REPLs support interactive execution.
Use cases
- Language implementation
- Script execution
- REPL