GraalVM has an AoT (ahead-of-time) compiler that links against a “Substrate VM” [1] library. It [still starts as]* bytecode but an executable is generated that

GraalVM has an AoT (ahead-of-time) compiler that links against a “Substrate VM” [1] library. It [still starts as]* bytecode but an executable is generated that has fast startup times and low disk/memory footprint. These properties are important for subsecond Serverless Function spin-up and small container images starting with a minimalist Linux like Alpine. It’s not clear to me if JBoss/Redhat/IBM add anything new to the mix or are simply embracing GraalVM and are trying to make the experience seamless for their customers. [1] https://www.graalvm.org/docs/reference-manual/native-image/ https://www.graalvm.org/docs/reference-manual/native-image/ *update: edited bytecode sentence based on thu2111's comment