Native Image
Native Image is a technology that compiles Java applications ahead-of-time (AOT) into standalone native executables, eliminating the need for a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) at runtime. It is part of the GraalVM ecosystem and enables Java code to run with faster startup times and lower memory footprint compared to traditional JVM-based execution. This tool is particularly useful for building microservices, command-line tools, and cloud-native applications where performance and resource efficiency are critical.
Developers should learn and use Native Image when they need to deploy Java applications in environments with strict resource constraints or where rapid startup is essential, such as serverless functions (e.g., AWS Lambda), containerized microservices, or edge computing devices. It is also valuable for creating lightweight command-line interfaces (CLIs) and reducing cold start latency in cloud deployments, making it a key tool for modern Java development in performance-sensitive scenarios.