Are you new to Java and trying to learn how to compile and run a simple Java program? Look no further! In this tutorial, I will walk you through the steps to compile and run your first Java program, as well as troubleshoot any issues you may encounter along the way.
Before we begin, make sure that you have the Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on your machine. If you do not have the JDK installed, you can download it from the Oracle website.
Step 1: Create a Java source file
The first step is to create a new file with a .java
extension that contains the Java source code. For this tutorial, we will create a simple program that prints “Hello, World!” to the console.
Open your text editor and enter the following code:
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello, World!");
}
}
Save the file as Main.java
in a convenient location on your machine.
Step 2: Compile the Java source file
To compile the Java source file, open the command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on macOS or Linux), and navigate to the directory where you saved the Main.java
file.
Then, enter the following command:
javac Main.java
This will compile the Main.java
file and create a new file called Main.class
, which contains the bytecode version of the program.
Step 3: Run the Java program
To run the Java program, enter the following command:
java Main
This will execute the Main
class, which will print “Hello, World!” to the console.
Troubleshooting: javac
or java
is not recognized
If you receive an error saying that the javac
or java
commands are not recognized, it means that the system cannot find the executables for these commands. This can happen if the PATH environment variable is not set correctly.
You can read my other post on How to solve error “javac or java is not recognized”.