Hello Readers, CoolMonkTechie heartily welcomes you in this article (Unveiling Android Runtime: A Comprehensive Overview for Developers and Enthusiasts).
In this article, We will learn about Runtime in android. The Android operating system uses the Android Runtime (ART) as its managed runtime environment to run applications. It replaced the Dalvik runtime in Android 5.0 (Lollipop) as the default runtime. ART is responsible for executing and managing Android applications on the device.
A famous quote about learning is :
“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
So Let’s begin.
What is Android Runtime?
” Android Runtime (ART) is the managed runtime environment used by the Android operating system to run applications. It replaced the Dalvik runtime in Android 5.0 (Lollipop) as the default runtime. ART is responsible for executing and managing Android applications on the device.”
ART utilizes an Ahead-of-Time compilation approach, where the app’s bytecode is translated into native machine code during the app installation process. In contrast, the Dalvik runtime employed Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation, interpreting the bytecode at runtime.
When we write our code in Java/Kotlin and build the APK, it gets converted to bytecode. Subsequently, our APK contains .dex files that house this bytecode. However, our Android device cannot run bytecode format directly. Therefore, the translation of the app bytecode into native machine code becomes necessary. This translation process is facilitated by Android Runtime (ART).
Android Runtime Types and Their Evolutions
Android has undergone several changes in its runtime environments over the years. The primary runtimes in Android include Dalvik and Android Runtime (ART). Let’s explore their evolution:
Dalvik Runtime:
Dalvik was the original runtime environment which uses in Android before version 5.0 (Lollipop). It uses Just-in-Time (JIT) Compilation, which translated the application’s bytecode into native machine code at runtime. This allowed for flexibility but sometimes led to increased startup times.
Disadvantage: Increased startup times, Low performance and decreases battery performance.
Android Runtime (ART):
ART replaced Dalvik as the default runtime in Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It uses default runtime (Android 5.0 – Present).
Ahead-of-Time (AOT) Compilation: One significant change in ART is the shift from JIT to Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compilation. The app’s bytecode converts into native machine code during the app installation process, reducing runtime overhead and improving overall performance.
Improved Performance: AOT compilation contributes to faster app startup times and more efficient execution.
Compact Dalvik:
Compact Dalvik introduced in Android 4.4 (KitKat) as an intermediate step before transitioning to ART.
Performance Improvements: While still using JIT compilation, Compact Dalvik included optimizations to improve app performance compared to earlier versions.
Project Mainline (Android 10 and Later):
Starting with Android 10, Project Mainline introduced a modular approach to system updates, enabling the Google Play Store to update core parts of the Android runtime independently of full system updates
Security and Update Flexibility: Mainline improves the security and flexibility of Android updates. It enables more frequent updates for critical runtime components.
ART Compiler (Android 7.0 – Nougat):
Android 7.0 (Nougat) introduced significant changes to the ART compiler, including the introduction of the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler alongside the existing Ahead-of-Time (AOT) compiler.
Mixed Compilation: The mixed compilation approach employed both Ahead-of-Time (AOT) and Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation to enhance performance. The system compiled frequently executed code ahead of time, and it compiled less frequently used code at runtime for adaptability.
Project Treble (Android 8.0 – Oreo):
While not directly a runtime, Project Treble, introduced in Android Oreo, rearchitected the Android OS to separate the vendor implementation from the Android framework. This separation aimed to streamline the update process for Android devices.
Android Runtime (ART) Optimizations:
Ongoing: With each new Android version, ART continues to receive optimizations and improvements to enhance the performance and resource efficiency of Android applications.
ART in Android 12:
Ongoing Evolution: Android 12 and subsequent versions continue to refine ART with optimizations, security enhancements, and improvements in resource management.
Dalvik vs ART
| Dalvik | ART |
| JIT (Just In Time) based Compilation | AOT (Ahead-of-Time) based Compilation |
| Low performance | High performance |
| More startup time | Less startup time |
| Less install time | More install time |
| Less space on the disk | More space on the disk |
| Less boot time | More boot time |
| Decreases battery performance | Increases battery performance |
| Does not have a better Garbage collection as compared to ART | Better Garbage collection than Dalvik |
That’s all about in this article.
Conclusion
In this article, we learned about Android Runtime (ART). Understanding the evolution of Android runtimes is crucial for developers to adapt their applications to leverage new features, performance improvements, and security enhancements introduced in each version.Developers should also consider the compatibility of their apps with different runtime environments across various Android versions. We also discussed the different comparison between Dalvik and ART in Android.
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