Android Runtime (ART)

Android Runtime (ART) is the managed runtime environment used by Android apps and system services to execute Dalvik Executable (DEX) bytecode, replacing the earlier Dalvik virtual machine. It primarily employs ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation to convert bytecode into native machine code at…

Key facts

First appeared: 2014
Category: technology
Problem solved: ART addressed Dalvik's performance limitations, including slow app startup due to JIT compilation at runtime, high CPU usage during execution, and suboptimal efficiency as apps grew larger and devices gained more RAM and processing power.
Platforms: Android OS (ARM, x86, ARM64)

Related technologies

Java/Kotlin
Android OS
DEX bytecode
Bionic libc
APEX modules

Notable users

Google
Android app developers
Samsung
OEM Android device manufacturers