Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle Corporation) in the mid-1990s. Java is designed to be portable and platform-independent, meaning that Java code can run on any computer or operating system that has a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed.
Java is known for its "write once, run anywhere" philosophy, which means that Java code can be written on one platform and run on any other platform without the need for modifications. This is achieved by compiling Java code into bytecode, which can then be executed by any JVM.
Java is widely used for developing desktop, web, and mobile applications, as well as for building enterprise-level applications and software systems. Java is also used extensively for developing Android mobile apps, and for building server-side web applications using Java-based frameworks like Spring, Struts, and JavaServer Faces (JSF).