An interpreter runs the code as it is being read in. A compiler processes the code and provides an intermediate result which is then "interpreted" by the machi

An interpreter runs the code as it is being read in. A compiler processes the code and provides an intermediate result which is then "interpreted" by the machine. So to take the "writes it in byte code" -- that is a compiler. "executes the byte code" -- is the interpreter. If byte code is "machine code" or not, is really secondary.